Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams will be without wide receiver Tutu Atwell for at least the next four weeks. Atwell was placed on injured reserve on Monday as he continues to manage a hamstring injury. The Rams wide receiver returned to action against the Jacksonville Jaguars after being inactive for the game against the Baltimore Ravens the week prior. Atwell clearly wasn’t 100 percent for the Jaguars game as he played a season-low 10 snaps.
Now, Atwell goes on injured reserve, compounding what has been a disappointing fifth season for the Rams wide receiver. This was a player that the Rams brought back in the offseason and supposedly had a plan on how to utilize him more. While Atwell has produced when utilized, he’s only played 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps once this season. He’s been used more as a “clear out” decoy than a featured player in the offense.
Still, Atwell’s lack of usage aside, without him on the field, the Rams lose their vertical threat in the offense. On players with at least five targets, Atwell leads the NFL in yards per route on deep passing routes (20+ yards). His average depth of target of 28.6 yards leads the Rams. Atwell is the player in the offense that can consistently make plays on a vertical plane.
Atwell will very likely return to the lineup for the stretch run at the end of the season. Still, this is a very important four-week stretch coming up with the Rams playing the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back-to-back weeks. That isn’t a stretch in which the Rams will want their offense to be limited in any way.
With that said, the Rams do have some in-house options to replace that vertical threat. While Stetson Bennett didn’t connect with Konata Mumpfield, the Rams wide receiver showed that he can win deep in the preseason. He may not be as fast as Atwell, but his release off of the line and overall route running allow him to create separation that others get with speed.
That doesn’t mention rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson. Again, Ferguson isn’t going to run past defensive backs in the same way that Atwell can. However, this is also how the Rams have used Ferguson early in his career. His first catch in the preseason was a slot fade to the sideline. The same can be said about his first regular season catch against the 49ers. Ferguson’s touchdown against the Jaguars came vertically down the seam while Stafford targeted him earlier in the game on the same route.
To put it simply, the Rams do have players on the roster that can fill the void of Atwell being out for four weeks. While Atwell may be out, it creates opportunities for other players like Mumpfield and Ferguson. This is a position that the Rams actually have some depth at and with the tight ends, they have the flexibility to run 12 or 13 personnel....
