Can TuTu Atwell maximize value as Rams kick returner?

When the Los Angeles Rams drafted TuTu Atwell back in 2021, one thing that many were excited about was the potential of the explosive playmaker as a punt returner or kick returner. While this wasn’t something that Atwell did at Louisville as he had four punt returns in three years, it was the explosive play-making ability that had many believing he could do it.

Through three years, this isn’t something that Atwell has done consistently. The Rams receiver returned 10 punts during his rookie year in addition to five kickoffs. However, after a should injury on a punt return against the Houston Texans, Atwell opted for season-ending shoulder surgery. Atwell hasn’t been on the return team since.

However, the new kick return rules make it so that Atwell’s skillset could end up being maximized. Instead of the returner running into a blocking “wedge”, it is now set up to be more like a running play on offense. Forcing return teams to wait until Atwell catches the ball to start chasing could give him an advantage while also reducing the risk of injury and. This is exactly what Atwell said in the early days of training camp. Said Atwell,

“I’m gonna be back there this year. You’re gonna see some of Tutu at kick returner…We’ve been practicing on it, trying to get a feeling of it. I had a couple reps and it looked good...(Now) They gotta wait until I catch the ball? It’s gonna be dangerous. I’ll take a chance at that this year.”

The Rams have seemingly have a plan for Atwell this year and that seemingly includes being used as a returner on kickoff. On the team’s first depth chart of the preseason, Atwell was listed as the starter on both the punt and kick return units. This may come as some surprise considering the Rams signed Boston Scott to have a role on kick return as well.

With that said, the new kick return rules could be a benefit for Atwell. The Rams and head coach Sean McVay haven’t used Atwell in the run game often, specifically on jet sweeps. When they have, Atwell has found some success. Against the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the 2022 season, Atwell scored from 11 yards out on a jet sweep. Last year against the Bengals, Atwell should have scored again, but the play was controversially called back.

Within the new kickoff rules, there are options to run similar style plays from a blocking perspective, utilizing a pull. As detailed by Shawn Syed of Sumer Sports,

“A Pull is a block where a player goes from inside to outside over the distance of more than one player. This helped returners capture the edge or open a lane inside of the puller while two or more other blockers had an angle advantage as they blocked down the line. The Pull scheme’s success may encourage NFL teams to try it, and the NFL’s alignment rules allowing for some players to start off the restraining line would make the angles even better.”

In the clip below, you can see the pull block and comparing to the jet sweep above, you can see tight end Tyler Higbee on a similar pull to help Atwell find a crease on the edge.

With Atwell’s frame, there will always be concerns about injuries and fumbles. However, in three years, Atwell has fumbled one time. The new kickoff rules also make it a safer play and Atwell shouldn’t have players running directly at him chasing at full speed. It’s much more like a play on offense where Atwell has found success when used in that role.

The Rams can also try some creative things that don’t require Atwell to be the primary kick returner. They could still line up Boston Scott deep with Atwell blocking on the edge. This is another area where he’s had success. Among wide receivers that took at least 50 percent of their team’s blocking snaps, Atwell ranked 10th in run-blocking. However, lining up Atwell as a blocker on the kick return until could make sense as chasing players aren’t getting a head start.

By doing this, the Rams could potentially set up reverse/end-around type plays in which the returner hands the ball off to a player going in the opposite direction.

Syed who studied the new kickoff rules noted that teams also used fake reverses similar to the Shanahan tree’s fakes on outside zone. This is another role on offense in which the Rams have used Atwell in the past. Essentially, it’s the fake jet sweep to freeze the linebackers which the Rams have incorporated in the offense at times.

It’s very likely that the Rams keep their kickoff return strategies pretty vanilla throughout the preseason. With that said, it is nice to see some importance brought back to what used to be a very exciting play. This allows players like Atwell who may not have a role on offense still have the ability to thrive and maximize their skillset. It’s going to be interesting to see exactly how the Rams approach the new kickoff rules, but Atwell may have a large role in that.