NFC West Check-In: LA Rams reacquire former 2nd-round WR in surprising trade

The Rams announced the deal Thursday before their final preseason game against the Chargers.

BY GREG BEACHAM, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aug 27, 2026, 3:05 PM Updated: 3:08 pm

Tutu Atwell of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a first down against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 8, 2024. (Harry How/Getty Images)

(Harry How/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have reacquired veteran receiver Tutu Atwell from the Miami Dolphins in a trade for running back Jarquez Hunter.

The Rams announced the surprising deal Thursday before their final preseason game against the Chargers.

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Los Angeles drafted Atwell in the second round in 2021, and he spent his first five NFL seasons with the Rams, even receiving a Super Bowl ring as an injured rookie. Atwell’s big-play speed and ball skills were obvious when he was healthy and in the good graces of coach Sean McVay, and he had 81 catches for 1,045 yards in the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined.

Atwell frequently struggled to get regular playing time for McVay, partly because of his small size and perceived blocking deficiencies — yet the Rams shockingly re-signed Atwell before last season with a lavish $10 million deal.

He then played in just 10 games because of injuries. Even when he was healthy, McVay rarely let Atwell on the field, playing him on just 16.5% of the Rams’ offensive snaps.

Atwell had only six receptions last season, but one of them was the NFL’s longest catch of the season — a go-ahead, 88-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford in a comeback victory over the Colts.

Atwell signed with his hometown Dolphins last spring on a $1.4 million, one-year deal. Atwell briefly looked like a potential No. 1 receiver for rebuilding Miami and quarterback Malik Willis in training camp.

But no clear-cut No. 3 receiver emerged for the Rams behind All-Pro Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in training camp, and Atwell burned no bridges in Los Angeles by remaining a professional team player even when he couldn’t get playing time. The Rams also realize they could be thin at receiver for an indeterminate period early this season if Nacua is suspended by the NFL for his offseason of misdeeds.

Los Angeles reacquired Atwell by shipping out Hunter, another promising prospect who never got playing time under McVay.

The Rams chose Hunter out of Auburn in the fourth round in 2025, but he didn’t get a regular-season carry as a rookie while sitting behind Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and special teams contributor Ronnie Rivers. Hunter got playing time during the current preseason, but apparently didn’t impress enough to threaten Rivers’ status on the roster with the Rams’ renewed emphasis on strong special teams.

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