Sean McVay Explains Why Rams Brought Back Tutu Atwell

The Los Angeles Rams made a notable trade prior to their final preseason game last Thursday, reacquiring wide receiver Tutu Atwell from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for running back Jarquez Hunter.

Head coach Sean McVay said he felt comfortable trading Hunter as their running back room is already loaded with Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:

“It will be good to be able to bring Tutu Atwell back. Obviously wish Jarquez Hunter nothing but the best moving forward,” head coach Sean McVay said postgame after the Rams’ 20-18 preseason win over the Chargers Thursday night. “Felt like it was a chance to be able to add depth to the receiver room. … There’s a good feel for those top three backs that we saw, and I thought both Jordan (Waters) and Dean (Connors) did a really nice job of solidifying that they’re real factors that you’ve got to be able to take into consideration, what does that look like.”

McVay noted that the Rams were a little thin at wide receiver and liked the idea of reuniting with a player he is already familiar with:

“There’s a lot of love for Tutu Atwell in this locker room and a lot of familiarity,” McVay said. “And so I know Miami’s home for him, but this is his second home. So we’re excited to be able to welcome him back.”

When the trade was first announced, some took it as a sign that Puka Nacua could get suspended by the NFL as a result of his tumultuous offseason. However, McVay said the Rams simply wanted to add depth at the wide receiver position:

Asked by a reporter whether re-acquiring Atwell was a pre-emptive move in case wide receiver Puka Nacua is suspended, McVay said it had “nothing to do” with a possible Nacua suspension and reiterated that it was a chance to add depth to the receiver room.

Atwell spent his first five NFL seasons with the Rams and was set to play for his hometown Dolphins this year. They are obviously going through a rebuild though and felt Atwell may not have been the best fit.

Atwell will now look to pick things back up with the Rams and perhaps give them a downfield threat to complement Nacua and Davante Adams, which they previously were missing from the roster.

Rams will carry 3 quarterbacks on initial 53-man roster

As the Rams trim their roster down to 53 players, McVay already revealed that the team will carry three quarterbacks to begin the regular season.