During the Mike McDaniel era of Miami Dolphins football, the team was primarily known for its speed on offense.
This offseason, that appeared to change with their new regime. The Dolphins moved on from speedster wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, despite their past productivity with the team.
While those moves created a glaring need at the wide receiver position, they also meant Miami lacked an explosive downfield threat that could take the top off the defense. As a result, Miami signed former Los Angeles Rams second-round pick Tutu Atwell to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with $1 million guaranteed.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, it appears that Atwell’s production has not been felt during the early portion of training camp.
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Called Out
While discussing the biggest surprises from Miami Dolphins training camp, the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly mentioned Atwell as a negative surprise on the Dolphins Collective show.
Kelly called out Atwell as he said, “I’ve been saying this from OTAs. The athleticism, the speed, there should be way more productivity than what I’m seeing, which is no productivity. He’s had one good day in six practices. You’re the most experienced receiver, you’re clearly the fastest receiver, you’re probably the most talented receiver, you’re probably the most accomplished receiver, why are you invisible?”
Kelly then added, “I would call plays for him like he is Tyreek Hill, see what he has and if he doesn’t have anything, I’m moving on. I’m ready to eat my $1 million dollars.”
Atwell’s production in the NFL has been up-and-down. He initially failed to live up to his second-round draft status. However, during the 2024 season, Atwell set a career-high with 562 receiving yards. Then, the Los Angeles Rams traded for wide receiver Davante Adams and that led Atwell’s production to diminish drastically as he finished with only six receptions for 192 yards.
Tutu Atwell’s Contract and Roster Status
Atwell’s strong 2024 season resulted in him re-signing with the Rams on a one-year, $10 million contract. Following his disappointing 2025 campaign, Miami was able to sign him to a cheaper contract. He has totaled over $15 million in career earnings.
The former Rams receiver is only one of two wide receivers with more than $1 million guaranteed on the current Dolphins roster, joining veteran Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert is the only wide receiver on Miami’s roster to have a more successful season than Atwell in 2024.
As Kelly mentioned, if Atwell does not produce, the team may decide to move on. After signing Atwell, the Dolphins drafted Chris Bell, Caleb Douglas and Kevin Coleman Jr., as well as added Jalen Reagor in free agency.
So far, rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas has reportedly impressed. Perhaps Atwell’s lack of production is a reason the Dolphins decided to check in on the status of free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs before he signed with the Washington Commanders.
Prior to training camp, Atwell had been listed by Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart as one of 17 players to be borderline locks to make Miami’s roster. Only Caleb Douglas and Malik Washington were listed by Poupart as absolute locks.
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