LOS ANGELES — Trading out of a position of immense depth, the Rams are bringing back a familiar face into their receiving room ahead of Sunday’s 53-man roster crunch.
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The Rams are trading second-year running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for wide receiver Tutu Atwell, a league source confirmed to the Southern California News Group on Thursday morning.
Atwell entered the league as the Rams’ second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft and spent each of the past five seasons with the Rams before signing with the Dolphins in March.
Atwell returns to a receivers room – and offense under head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, who previously served as the Rams passing game coordinator – he knows very well. Although Atwell, 26, dropped off the radar a bit last season with Davante Adams’ entrance, he still played in 10 games and tallied 192 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The 5-foot-9 speedy receiver could, however, push out a rookie such as CJ Daniels or Tru Edwards for playing time or possibly a spot on the final 53-man roster altogether. Atwell’s best season as a Ram came in 2024 when he recorded a career-high 562 receiving yards and 46 receptions.
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Hunter, on the other hand, was the Rams’ fourth-round selection last year but had yet to line up running back in a regular-season game. He played in five games on special teams, totaling 22 snaps.
The 24-year-old Auburn product was blocked by the tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum at the top of the depth chart as well as Ronnie Rivers, who is considered a break-glass option whom McVay stated earlier this week that he “trusts” and would be next up should Williams or Corum become unavailable.
Trading Hunter makes it all the more likely that the Rams will roster just three running backs for Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia.
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