Defying NFL analysts, Sean McVay loves minicamp effort from 3 Rams weapons

The Los Angeles Rams have wrapped up their annual minicamp, and you may think that an exotic location does not bode well for an NFL team trying to focus exclusively on football. Right on queue, Rams Head Coach Sean McVay confirms that fear at the 0:45 mark when he shares that the team knew that it was not going to get a lot of football accomplished.

Coach McVay is never at a loss for words, but he is not all football now. After a humbling 2022 season that dropped the team to a 5-12 record, McVay has shown a different side. Whether you want to call it maturity, label it as appreciating the journey, or categorize him as more mellow, McVay appreciates the opportunity afforded to himself, his coaching staff, and his players from holding minicamp on Maui, Hawaii.

But ultimately, the post-practice interview with Rams reporter J.B. Long turns to football, and the topic of players who have either stood out so far or made significant progress is addressed by McVay.

He starts off the conversation by citing newly signed veteran WR Davante Adams and the way he has attacked OTAs and minicamp with a renewed passion for football. But he also flips over to Puka Nacua, a very productive offensive weapon for the Rams offense in the past two seasons. And he then names veteran WR Tutu Atwell, a player who he confirms is ready to ascend to the next level.

They comprise the projected starting trio of wide receivers, and I do not suspect McVay accidentally named them this early

The first chapter of the Rams 'offense is wrapped around excellence and productivity. The Rams' offenses from 2017 and 2018 generated a lot of points and yards. But defenses began to adapt, learning that the best way to shut down the offense was to attack young quarterback Jared Goff.

That prompted the Rams to trade for veteran QB Matthew Stafford, paving the way for a Super Bowl LVI victory. But defenses adapted again. Defenses began to focus less on stopping the run and began to commit to stopping the clone-like Rams wide receivers. But things have changed, and changed dramatically.

The Rams signed veteran Davante Adams in free agency, a deal that some are already rushing to describe as a huge overpay. Of course, the same was cited as soon as the Rams coughed up $10 million to extend Tutu Atwell for one more season. That works out to a lot of money invested in the receiver room. Will the team get a positive return on that investment?

What can Rams fans expect from the starting wide receivers?

Returning veteran wide receiver Puka Nacua fills the physical, route-precision type of receiver who embodies much of what Cooper Kupp brought to the offense. He is a solid powerhouse, a physical style of receiver who can put up significant yards after the catch. He never seems to tire, and can single-handedly carry the team to victory.

As a change of pace, veteran wide receiver Tutu Atwell brings the speed needed to blow past defensive backs and test the deep end of secondaries. Atwell has quietly developed under the radar into a very effective and productive receiver. All that is left to get him through that 1000+ receiving yards plateau is a sufficient number of targets. Hopefully, the Rams give him that in 2025.

This offense has dramatically changed with the addition of veteran WR Davante Adams. Unlike the other two receivers who have competed in this offense previously, Adams brings a mastery of creating separation on his own, a self-sufficient elite receiver whose NFL production has never needed complex routes, motions, or formations to succeed. But what happens when he benefits from the Rams' ability to scheme separation for their receivers?

This is an offense that set records with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. You can bet your mortgage that the combination of Davante Adams with veteran QB Matthew Stafford will flirt with career bests for Adams, if not with NFL Single-Season Receiving records.

Can the Rams break their drought of a 1000+ yard receiver in 2025? How about two receivers that break the 1000+ receiving yards plateau? How about three 1000+ receiving-yard receivers? The NFL has had just five teams that have boasted three 1000+ yards receivers. They are:

• 1980 - San Diego Chargers
• 1989 - Washington Redskins
• 1995 - Atlanta Falcons
• 2004 - Indianapolis Colts
• 2008 - Arizona Cardinals

Of course, it's too early to proclaim this wide receiver room in pursuit of such a lofty goal. But the Rams have a unique blend of talented receivers whose skills do not overlap, creating fertile ground for optimistic projections.

Coach McVay loves what he sees from his top receivers already. That is certainly a positive sign that good things are on the horizon.

As always, thanks for reading.

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