Quote
Shecky
McVay says this is a numbers game. I call BS. When Tutu was a WR3/4 earlier this year, he wasn't playing special teams. What gives?
I can't say that I know for sure, but that won't keep me from a wild speculation.
Just observing how the season has played out it seems that the Rams considered Atwell to be a top of the rotation WR when they signed him to a $10M deal on March 6. I haven't seen that specifically documented anywhere, but seriously - who signs a WR that you think is WR5 or WR6 to a $10M deal? The Rams are not immune to coach speak, team speak, etc. but they put their money where their mouth is to the tune of $10M and that says a lot. At least it does to me, anyway.
Davante Adams signed with the Rams three days after that Atwell deal. I'm not sure Atwell was WR2 when the Rams signed him but if so he wasn't any more. To me it seemed like Nacua and Adams were WR1A and WR1B with a mad scramble for the remaining pecking order thru training camp and preseason, with as I see it, Atwell and Whittington emerging as WR3A and WR3B.
By observation it seems that the Rams are willing to carry three guys at the top of the WR rotation who don't play special teams, and Nacua, Adams, and Atwell were all active early in the season even though none of them play teams.
At this point, though, it seems that Atwell has fallen out of the rotation. The Rams couldn't figure out how to use him when he was healthy (4 catches in 6 games) and they apparently learned how to live without him while he was out.
Contributing factors: the emergence of 13 personnel (which only requires 1 WR) and the continued development of Smith, Whittington, and Mumpfield as viable WR3/4 options.
Also to be considered is the construction of the active 48 man roster on game day. At this point in the season a bunch of guys are playing hurt and the Rams probably have guys on the game day roster as insurance for the walking wounded, something they didn't have to do at the beginning of the season. Murchison, Hamilton, and Hampton were all active on game day - not sure that would be the case if the top guys were all 100%.
Maybe one of them took a spot on the game day roster that a WR5/6 who doesn't play special teams could have occupied in weeks 1/2/3 when everyone was 100%. And my guess is that's what McVay means when he says this is a numbers game.
AlbaNY_Ram
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2025 05:18AM by AlbaNY_Ram.
