The arrival of Tutu Atwell

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (News4usonline) – Speed kills. At least in football, it does. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell has plenty of giddy-up and toughness behind his 5-foot-9, 165-pound frame.  

Now in his third season playing in the NFL, Atwell has harnessed his eye-popping speed and transferred it into a valuable asset that the Rams can use this season. So far, so good on this note. With fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp out of the lineup to open the season, Atwell has played exceptionally in No. 10’s absence. 

And he is having a blast.   

“I feel like they just let me do what I do best,” Atwell said after a team practice on Thursday, Sept. 20. “By me learning all the positions just helping a lot with everything.” 

In three games this season, Atwell has caught 17 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. Atwell’s lone score this season was a 1-yard touchdown pass hookup from Matthew Stafford in a road defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals. Atwell caught four passes for 50 yards in the contest.

Prior to the Rams’ Monday Night Football game against the Bengals, Atwell had been a pleasant surprise with his play. In the team’s season opener, Atwell raised more than a few eyebrows when he caught six passes for 119 yards in the Rams’ 30-13 win against the Seattle Seahawks. 

He followed up that performance with a solid Week 2 outing against the San Francisco 49ers, catching seven passes for 77 yards. Atwell said the keys to what he’s been able to do is a combination of using his hands as well as utilizing his speed. 

“That’s something that I work on day in and day out. I’m very confident catching the ball. I just do what I got to do,” Atwell said. 

Last season, Atwell caught a total of 18 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown in 13 games. He’s already on the verge of surpassing his 2022 totals. Rams head coach Sean McVay has taken notice of Atwell’s development. 

“Well he’s always had great, aggressive hands and I just think he’s getting more comfortable,” McVay said during his weekly press conference on Sept. 20. “He’s got a great feel for space. He knows how to navigate traffic. He’s super smart too. He’s got an understanding of what’s going on defensively. If you talk to (WR) Cooper (Kupp), he’s always picking his brain. It’s fun to listen to those two. And he and (QB) Matthew (Stafford) have a great rapport and so I think he’s really developing into…he’s just become a more complete football player.” 

Atwell said the difference this season in terms of his productivity on the field has been putting forth more effort to get better. 

“Just putting in more work,” Atwell said. “Just learning different positions, listening to Coop [Kupp], and following his lead.”

Getting tips from Cooper Kupp is not a bad idea. During the Rams’ Super Bowl LVII run, Kupp caught 145 passes for 1,917 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year. 

Kupp was on his way to having another monster season when he was sidelined with an injury in 2022. In nine games last season, Kupp still managed to get his hands on 75 catches for 812 yards and six touchdowns. Atwell said that the cues he has received from Kupp have come from the offseason as well and not just during practice or training camp.  

“Absolutely, [the] offseason as well,” Atwell remarked. “I would get out there and work out with him. Whether it was lifting weights or in the classroom, we get it done.” 

Some of the lessons that Atwell has picked up from Kupp are some rudimentary steps. 

“Route running, fundamentals, and how to set people up,” quipped Atwell.  

Kupp is not the only teacher that Atwell has had whispering in his ear. Stafford has also been giving him advice. 

“He teaches us a lot,” said Atwell. “He talks about what we can do on different routes.”

All the advice he has gotten from Stafford has paid dividends for Atwell in a variety of ways, he said.   

“Just good timing. We have great timing, good catches,” Atwell said. “I feel like we have a great relationship.”      

Atwell’s arrival as a prime-time target at the wide receiver spot didn’t just happen overnight, Stafford said. 

“I think from year one to now it’s been gradual. It hasn’t been just some… he was this player and now he’s that player, whatever it is,” Stafford said. “ You see it every single day. That’s the cool thing about watching it is just the work that’s gone into it. It isn’t just something where he woke up one day and said, ‘Oh, I’m going to be this guy.’ It’s a lot of work that goes into it both physically, but also mentally being able to play every position for us if we need him to.”

 Stafford goes on to add that Atwell does all the little things for himself and his teammates to get better.

“Just getting guys lined up, knowing his assignment in and out, helping other guys with theirs, and then still playing with speed, aggressive hands, playing big for a guy of his stature, brings great energy to the team when he is out there,” said Stafford. “We love having him out there. So just happy for him, happy for his success because he’s worked for it. Nothing has been given. He’s done a hell of a job getting after it working and he’s getting some of the rewards for that.”

Lead Image Photo Caption: Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell (5) looks for running room against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 17, 2023. Photo by Mark Hammond/News4usonline