The Los Angeles Rams recently concluded their OTAs and are working through mandatory minicamp, and there is optimism surrounding Tutu Atwell ahead of his sophomore campaign. On Wednesday, Matthew Stafford talked about the progress Atwell has made so far this offseason.
“I think Tutu had a nice spring, made some plays,” Stafford said. “Spent a bunch of time working with Cooper, which I think is good for him.”
Besides spending more time with Cooper Kupp to get some pointers, Stafford sees Atwell moving around with more of a “purpose.”
“Everything he does seems to be that much more intentional. ‘Why are we out here? What are we doing this drill for? What are we doing that drill for?’ There’s a purpose behind all of it. As a second-year player and a developing player, he’s understanding that each thing is important and try to get something from each and every drill. Whether that’s catching routes on air or jogging through a jog-through. Whatever it is, trying to make sure he finds something to gain from each one of these. He’s been doing a really good job of that this spring and we’ll need him to continue to do that throughout the summer.”
When the Rams selected Atwell with the 57th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, many fans were scratching their heads at the selection. Following a rookie season — that ended prematurely due to injury — where he saw 37 total snaps (10 on offense, 27 on special teams), some are still questioning the decision to draft Atwell.
Earlier this month, Sean McVay and wide receivers coach, Eric Yarber, spoke highly of Atwell in his second offseason with the team. While Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Van Jefferson are the top three wideouts on the depth chart right now, there’s a chance we see more of Atwell in 2022 given Stafford’s comments.
