Rams' Tutu Atwell Set for Breakout Year

When the Rams announced they were bringing back Tutu Atwell, it was honestly one of the most shocking decisions of the offseason. If we had to circle the names of players who would be guaranteed not to return in 2025, Atwell's name would be circled in bright red Sharpie.

Considering the fact that Atwell has shown his worth and despite producing, has not been rewarded with continuous targets, it came as a surprise that not only did the Rams want Atwell back but were giving him an eight-figure deal to do so.

Considering the moves made by the Rams, it is highly likely that Atwell will be based primarily in the slot, and if Sean McVay continues to use three receivers in the way that he does, Atwell could be on the verge of a career-changing season.

Atwell has such a low center of gravity that he can put linebackers in a precarious position, he's small so McVay can hide him behind the offensive line, and considering the frames of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, expect Atwell to be used in the red zone, sneaking underneath with Adams or Nacua clearing out the defenders in front of them.

In 2024, Atwell was targeted 62 times. He caught 42 passes, thus he had a catch rate of 67 percent. He hauled in 562 receiving yards. That's 13.3 yards per catch.

For argument's sake, Atwell averaged 3.6 targets per game. Let's say that with a new starting role, that goes up to five targets per game.

That would be 85 targets per season. Since a bunch of Atwell's targets came when he was the WR1 or WR2 while Nacua and Cooper Kupp dealt with injuries, let's bump that up to 70 percent due to more advantageous matchups.

Thus Atwell could see about 60 catches per season. At 13.3 YPC, that's 798 yards per game. In Atwell's new role, he'll have more opportunities to run fade routes, screen plays, and he'll have more opportunities to get yards after the catch.

Considering he is playing for his future and now the team has a vision for him with the financial commitment to back it up, it's officially Tutu Atwell season and my money is on him having a career-defining year.