Rams’ Decision to Keep 7 Wide Receivers Raises More Questions Than Answers

When the Los Angeles Rams announced their 53-man roster on Sunday, one of the bigger surprises was that the team would be keeping seven wide receivers. There has been a lot of speculation this offseason that the Rams will lean into the 12 and 13 personnel packages they found success with last season. While that may still be the case, it seemed like an odd decision to keep so many wide receivers if the tight end position is going to be the focal point.

It also wasn’t just that the Rams kept seven wide receivers, but also the fact that they traded for Tutu Atwell the day of their preseason finale. Atwell was an enigma of a player during his time in Los Angeles. Despite the team taking him in the second round, he never found a consistent role in the offense, and the team struggled to find ways to use him.

Last offseason, the Rams paid Atwell $10 million fully guaranteed, and it felt like the offense might feature him more. Atwell had six total receptions on the year and didn’t play in seven games. It seemed as if last year reached a tipping point, and both sides decided after the year that the best path forward was to go their separate ways. There simply seemed to be no place for Atwell in the offense.

Rams’ Decision to Keep Seven Wide Receivers Raises Questions

However, heading into the 2026 season, Atwell once again finds himself on the Rams’ roster. What makes the Atwell acquisition and the decision to keep seven wide receivers so puzzling is that nothing has really changed since last year.

Atwell fell out of favor in the offense last year, ending up behind Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield. Both of those players are still on the Rams’ roster. In fact, on the Rams’ Week 1 depth chart, Atwell was listed as the seventh wide receiver. There’s almost nothing that Atwell provides that the Rams don’t already have.

At the very least, Atwell is cheap, experienced depth, but it’s hard to see where he fits. Yes, Atwell is a deep threat, but this is also where Smith excels as a wide receiver. Both players caught 3-of-7 deep targets last season, and the Rams seem to value Smith more because of his value on special teams. Smith and Atwell are limited as blockers because of their size, but Smith at least has special teams value. The Rams also seem to be excited about Mumpfield’s ability in the intermediate area of the field and his alignment versatility.

Again, the Rams keeping seven wide receivers seems odd given this group and how they want to operate the offense. It’s fair to wonder where exactly Atwell fits as a bottom-of-the-roster player with a very limited skill set. Sean McVay was adamant that it wasn’t because of the possibility of a Puka Nacua suspension.

“He adds great depth,” said McVay. “It gives us that opportunity to be able to have that speed element, and he can do some different things. It had nothing to do with anything other than adding depth to the receiver room.”

Do the Rams Really Need This Much Wide Receiver Depth?

Heading into training camp and the offseason, an argument could be made that the Rams needed experienced depth. While Terrance Ferguson is expected to be the third receiver option in the offense, the Rams also like Jordan Whittington, and CJ Daniels has excelled in training camp. With that said, it’s also important to understand what those players realistically bring. Whittington is more of a special teams contributor, and Daniels is a rookie.

Adding Atwell would seem to signal that the Rams don’t trust their current wide receiver depth, but that also might be unfair to say given that they didn’t cut anybody. If the Rams don’t trust some of their depth, it wouldn’t make sense to keep all of them. When the Rams could have brought in Stefon Diggs or Keenan Allen, they opted not to.

It’s very possible that the Rams rotate players with a committee approach to remain fluid on offense and not be stuck to a certain personnel grouping. Still, it’s fair to ask if there are enough snaps to rotate seven guys.

Where Each Player Fits in the Offense

The receiver rotation and pecking order seem pretty clear. Davante Adams and Puka Nacua are the starters. Whittington provides depth as a player who can operate in Nacua’s role, especially in the slot. Daniels isn’t the player that Adams is, but he offers similar size on the outside. Smith provides a deep threat, while Mumpfield also offers outside depth behind Adams as a threat in the intermediate areas of the field and outside the numbers.

If Atwell is a situational player with a defined role as solely a deep threat, him being on the field serves as a tell for opposing defenses. That’s something that McVay has typically avoided. It’s why he values wide receivers who can play multiple spots.

There may come a point during the season when having an experienced seventh wide receiver proves valuable. Even in limited opportunities last year, Atwell showed game-breaking ability as he scored the winning touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. However, given the depth at the position and the fact that nothing has changed since last year, it’s difficult to see a path toward consistent snaps for Atwell or how keeping seven wide receivers makes sense.

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