It's a tale as old as time: The Los Angeles Rams want to get Tutu Atwell more involved.
Sean McVay has said it countless times since the Rams drafted Atwell in 2021. Mike LaFleur called Atwell "extremely valuable" last season. And now Nate Scheelhaase has gotten in on the fun.
Will this time be any different?
During his press conference on Thursday, Scheelhaase was asked if Atwell is a player the Rams want to get the ball to more. He said "definitely," citing Atwell's connection and chemistry with Matthew Stafford from the last five years together.
"Yeah, he definitely is," Scheelhaase said. "He's a guy who has shown up and had just that consistency with Matthew over the course of his career that I think Matthew has a lot of comfort with. I think with all
those guys, you're always trying to figure out the best ways to activate them to get them rolling. We feel confident in their ability to impact the offense when that shows up. It's a week-to-week thing in exactly how you're going to utilize them, exactly how that ball is going to get distributed but we've have a lot of confidence in those guys to be able to make plays."
Again, will this time be any different?
The Rams seemed fully prepared to end the Atwell experiment this offseason when they let him walk in free agency. He signed with the Dolphins but just before the season, the Rams reeled him back in. They traded Jarquez Hunter to Miami for Atwell, reuniting with the former second-round pick.
His utilization this season has been no different than the first four years he spent with the Rams. And once again, Los Angeles is dealing with injuries at wide receiver, opening the door for Atwell to step up.
His role has ranged between being a healthy scratch and playing around 30 snaps, seeing just eight targets in the five games he has suited up for. Atwell's best play of the season came last week against the Chargers when he caught a 40-yard deep shot down the left sideline, and then had another reception in the flat, which he turned into a 12-yard gain after making a defender miss.
None of this is to suggest Atwell should be playing every snap as the WR2 next to Puka Nacua. But no one is stepping up with Davante Adams out. Besides one drive against the Broncos where Konata Mumpfield caught three passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, he has just six catches for 64 yards on the season. Jordan Whittington has two catches for 12 yards and CJ Daniels has yet to be targeted.
Atwell only has five catches for 83 yards, but he's the most established (healthy) receiver the Rams have besides Nacua. If there's ever been a time to give him an opportunity, it's now.
The snaps are available. It's just a matter of A) giving them to him and B) him capitalizing on the limited targets he's bound to see.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Once again, Rams say they want to get Tutu Atwell more involved
