When wide receiver Tutu Atwell re-signed with the Rams on one-year deal last March, he probably did not envision a scenario in which he was a healthy inactive for the NFC Championship game.
Los Angeles' offense, long known as an 11-personnel dominant team, pivoted from those three wide receiver sets to 13 personnel with three tight ends on the field in wake of injuries to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Those multiple tight end formations stayed even when both Nacua and Adams got healthy, and Atwell – who didn't play special teams, was often the odd man out of the rotation from Week 7 onward.
In other words, the offense in late January was not the same offense Atwell was signed to in mid-March 2025. Now, Atwell is a pending unrestricted free agent, with that one-year contract scheduled to expire at the start of the new league year on March 11.
"I think the first thing is the vision that we had for what our offense was going to be going into the season and then what it became organically was very different based on the number of receivers that we played with in a lot of situations," said head coach Sean McVay on Feb. 2, when asked why they were unable to incorporate Atwell into the offense. "Part of the thought process when we made that signing last year was that we were going to still be in a lot of the 11 personnel grouping. You have him, Puka [Nacua], Davante [Adams] and then the complimentary pieces. Unfortunately, he had some injuries. There were some different things that went on where the games continued to go when he missed the period of time. Then, we organically figured out this next iteration where we leaned into a lot of the 13 personnel, that naturally just takes receivers off the grass."
Similar to previous seasons, when Atwell was used last year, he tended to make the most of his opportunities. The biggest example was the game-winning, 88-yard catch-and-run touchdown he connected with quarterback Matthew Stafford on against the Colts in Week 4.
The shift in offensive identity wasn't the sole reason for Atwell's lack of opportunities, as he also dealt with an hamstring injury he later re-aggravated against the Jaguars in London in Week 7. But even once he got healthy, 13 personnel was such a core part of that identity, the opportunities were few and far between.
Whether in-season or in the offseason, the Rams offense is always looking for ways to evolve. Does the next iteration of that unit include Atwell in that vision, or is the 13 personnel-led identity here to stay in 2026?
"I love the human being," McVay said. "The more I do this, it's so much more about the relationships that are built, and I know that's not what you're asking me, but that's where that means a lot. He's let me into his life. I love him. I wish I really could have done better, but I always still have a responsibility for what I think is best for our football team. If you were to ask me right now what our offense, defense or in the kicking game is going to look like, we have visions. In a lot of instances, they go according to plan and then sometimes they organically adjust and adapt as the season unfolds. That's really what last year entailed. I'm not trying to make any excuses, that's just the truth."
