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Should the Rams be concerned about the wide receivers behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams?
Throughout the Sean McVay era, the Los Angeles Rams have consistently fielded one of the most well-rounded wide receiver rooms in the NFL. When it comes to the top three wide receivers on a team, the Rams have consistently been at or near the top. The best trio had players such as Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks. However, Van Jefferson, Demarcus Robinson, Sammy Watkins, and others filled their roles as the third wide receiver in an offense that featured a lot of 11 personnel.
Heading into 2025, the Rams have one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. However, the bigger question heading into 2025 is what the Rams have behind them. The Rams opted not to bring back Demarcus Robinson in the offseason and instead re-signed Tutu Atwell. While Atwell has seen production when given opportunities, he eclipsed 500 yards in a single season for the first time last year. There is some excitement about Jordan Whittington, but 21 of his 22 receptions came when Rams receivers were injured early in the season or inactive in Week 18.
After Whittington, the Rams have Konata Mumpfield and Britain Covey. Mumpfield was drafted in the seventh round and Covey’s value primarily comes on special teams.
The question here is how comfortable should the Rams be with the group behind Adams and Nacua?
When the Rams gave Atwell $10 million guaranteed in free agency, it raised some eyebrows given his inconsistent usage to this point. Again, Atwell has gone over the 500 yard mark once and has been a divisive player among fans ever since he was drafted in 2021. Atwell is more than just a deep threat or gadget player. At the same time, his smaller frame can naturally limit his usage in certain personnel groupings.
Atwell may not have seen the production that some have expected, but he has been efficient when given opportunities. Last season he ranked 12th in success per route and 17th in yards per route run. At the same time, he had a catch rate of 68.9 percent which was fourth among Rams receivers. While he is seen as a deep threat, Atwell had just 18.1 percent of the team’s air yards last season. Even in the first eight weeks of the season that was 24.7 percent which is very low for a perceived deep threat.
As mentioned, it’s fair to be excited about Jordan Whittington. His physicality, especially in the run game, is reminiscent of a player like Nacua. Still, at this stage, he profiles more as a valuable role player than a go-to option in the passing game. Like most Rams receivers, he is efficient. His 2.5 yards per route was second on the team behind only Nacua. Mumpfield is still just a seventh-round rookie and Covey has been a career special teams player.
When it comes to the...
