Is Rams Rookie WR Ready To Help Now?

The rookie wideout is talented, but how much playing time will that lead to?

After the Los Angeles Rams lost in the NFL preseason finale to the Denver Broncos on Saturday night, the team began to focus on narrowing its roster down to 53 in preparation for the regular season.

One of those 53 players will be rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell, the team's highest-drafted player.

Unfortunately for Atwell, he comes into the team at one of its deepest positions, putting into question how much the former Louisville Cardinal will play in 2021.

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In the final preseason game, Atwell shined, grabbing a game-high eight catches for 62 yards on 12 targets.

Heading into Sunday's games, Atwell leads the entire league in preseason receptions with 18.

However, preseason numbers don't exactly translate to the regular season.

The team has Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, DeSean Jackson and Van Jefferson ahead of him on the depth chart, leaving him as the fifth wideout at best.

To put things in perspective, Jefferson, who was a rookie last year as the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, caught 19 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown.

Atwell's best chances of seeing the field come on special teams, where he is likely to be the team's primary return specialist. On Saturday night, Atwell returned four punts for 27 yards.

Another chance he sees the field is in the event that a receiver gets hurt, most likely Jackson, who plays the same deep threat role Atwell does.

Injuries have plagued these receivers before, and Jackson has played in just eight games in the past two years combined. For the Rams' sake, the team prefers Jackson out there as he has great chemistry with Matthew Stafford and he is the better player between him and Atwell heading into the season, simply due to the amount of reps Jackson has had in his NFL career compared to Atwell's small dose of three preseason games.

Atwell will eventually catch up, and he has the talent to be a factor in the offense this year, but the team's current circumstances make it rather difficult to make a difference in the offense.

CONTINUE READING: Broncos 17, Rams 12: L.A. Finishes Preseason With Third Loss