Rams trade Hunter for Atwell

Dolphins trade WR Tutu Atwell to Rams for RB Jarquez Hunter

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7543947/2026/08/27/dolphins-rams-trade-tutu-atwell-jarquez-hunter/?unlocked_article_code=1.8lA.y6Uz.rkyVZVqXt5T7&source=emp_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t done with Tutu Atwell after all. They have acquired their former wide receiver in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in exchange for running back Jarquez Hunter, the team announced on Thursday.

The Rams are bringing back a receiver they drafted in the second round in 2021 who spent the past five seasons with the team. Atwell was a steady producer from 2022 to 2024, catching 99 passes for 1,343 yards and four touchdowns, and Los Angeles re-signed him last offseason to a one-year, $10 million deal.

However, Atwell fell out of the rotation quickly and finished with just six catches for 192 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. He was often a healthy scratch down the stretch of the season as the Rams leaned into three-tight end sets and had to fix their special teams units on the fly — and Atwell didn’t contribute to that phase.

But now, the Rams are bringing Atwell back. They feel better about their special teams numbers and are still searching for a dependable No. 3 receiver behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Hunter was a fourth-round pick in 2025, but he was pushed out of playing time by the steady presence of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, as well as Ronnie Rivers, who contributes on special teams.

The Rams will take on $1.075 million of Atwell’s contract for this season, marking a difference of nearly $9 million from what they paid him last year. They will incur a cap hit of around $250,000 from Hunter’s deal as part of the trade.

The Rams are now likely to keep just three running backs on their 53-man roster, but they will have to decide how many wide receivers to keep beyond Nacua, Adams and Atwell, with Xavier Smith and Jordan Whittington filling special teams roles and sixth-round rookie CJ Daniels enjoying a busy training camp and preseason.