It’s only OTAs and this Rams veteran already looks like a new version of himself

Whenever the Los Angeles Rams sign an elite veteran in free agency, I am reluctant to get swept up in the euphoria that is the initial reaction of many fans. It's not that I'm dissatisfied with the team making efforts to improve the roster. It simply comes down to professional skepticism. After all, no NFL player becomes a free agent if the previous team was sold on their value. And even if that box gets checked, there is no correlation between past success and present-day production.

Everyone learned that lesson when the team pivoted from extending OLB Von Miller to sign free agent WR Allen Robinson. Robinson was productive but failed to achieve any level of measurable success with the Rams in 2022. So, not everyone is cut out to perform well in this offense.

Still, this is not an attempt to sully the reputation of Davante Adams with comparison to a failed experiment from the past. There truly is little to compare, with the exception that both were free-agent wide receivers signed to the Rams roster.

Davante Adams is a different style of receiver. He has complete command over his tempo and body, giving his quarterback an ideal target. Adams has seldom benefitted from motion, so he has crafted the ability to create separation on his own, with an extensive array of jukes, moves, tempos, and head fakes that can dupe even the best defensive backs in the NFL.

Even though it's only OTAs, he is already putting that tempo and body control on display in t-shirts and shorts. And everyone is noticing:

While the addition of venerable wide receiver Davante Adams has yet to be tested on the football field, the initial impressions of his presence at the Rams OTAs have been better than expected. If it were only a matter of catching passes, then he nailed it instantly. But what the Rams get in Davante Adams is a cornucopia of NFL experience in a wide range of offenses.

So he knows what has worked and what hasn't worked for him in the past. He is a mentor, a coach, a teammate, and a friend. That role is not limited to offensive players, but to his defensive teammates as well.

Several Rams defensive backs are already benefiting from Adams' sage wisdom. And Adams has competed against some of the best defensive backs playing today. So you can bet he is filling the heads of his teammates with the tricks of the trade that make them so effective at pass coverage.

Yes, it's only OTAs. But that's the best there is right now. But let's not rush this. Sometimes it's okay simply to savor the flavor of that first bite. Once the season starts, everything happens quickly. Right now, events are developing slowly enough to take time to appreciate what is happening.

If you are too impatient to delight in the promise of a new player on the roster, that's okay, too. But Adams does add an entirely new dimension to this offense. And his arrival is well-timed as well, as there are similarities in his game to that of rookie WR Konata Mumpfield.

Adams is a revered addition to the Rams' roster. And he is catching passes from one of the best NFL quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford. It's no wonder that he is smiling, thrilled, and having fun. Davante Adams was not seeking a fountain of youth in Los Angeles, California. That being said, he may have found it anyway.

As always, thanks for reading

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