This Rams veteran is doing everything right at camp (and people are noticing)

The Los Angeles Rams front office faced a monumental task in the offseason. The personnel and scouting departments were tasked with the challenge of upgrading the offense, even as decisions were made to part ways with veteran wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson. Making matters worse, Kupp, Johnson, and Robinson had combined for 14 receiving touchdowns in 2024.

The entire Rams offense had only combined for 22 receiving touchdowns last season.

While the decision to move on from a trio of same-size, same-style receivers may seem a bit alarming in terms of their combined production from one year ago, there is more at work here than rote statistics and production. The Rams' offense had grown stale and predictable. And that was not a deliberate decision as much as it was the result of focusing on playing similar players.

In 2025, the Rams' receiver room has branched out. The team still retains the young passion and physicality of WR Puka Nacua. But to that, the team has committed to investing more offensive snaps and targets in swift Tutu Atwell.

Still, both players may get a different distribution of the team's offensive workload, but both are returning players and familiar faces to fans. The real excitement and intrigue that fans are on the edge of their seats over is the arrival of elite NFL wide receiver veteran Davante Adams. Even the ESPN Los Angeles radio podcast hosts, Travis Rodgers and D'Marco Farr, are eager to see how Davante Adams performs when targeted by Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford:

And the radio disc jockeys make a solid point in pointing out this fact about Matthew Stafford. Of all NFL receiving records: WR Calvin Johnson, WR Cooper Kupp, and rookie WR Puka Nacua, there is one common element. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford threw the football to each of them in their record-setting seasons.

Now, the Guru of Getting-Passes-Through-Tight-Windows will be throwing to Davante Adams. Perhaps there are many reasons to be excited this season. Is this the dream match that NFL fans need but never knew could happen? Perhaps. But that is just one of the reasons for Rams fans to be optimistically excited about the 2025 NFL season with WR Davante Adams on the roster.

So far, this season NFL veteran is doing everything right for the team. Such as?

(6) - Davante Adams is making HC Sean McVay giddy again

It's nothing new for an NFL team to welcome a veteran addition on the roster by featuring their highlight reels and accomplishments for his new teammates in the opening meeting of players and coaches, but Rams HC Sean McVay has taken that age-old tradition to new heights with veteran wide receiver Davante Adams.

Let's be brutally honest. The Rams' offense has not been trending in the right direction of late. The offense seemed to peak in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, when the team was still led by quarterback Jared Goff and powered by the superb running of versatile RB Todd Gurley. This Rams offense has struggled to recapture the magic of that offense.

But the winds of change are blowing in a new direction.

Rams HC Sean McVay is not just a solid head coach. He has a discerning eye for elite NFL performances, and he is downright giddy in his highlights breakdown of the Rams' newest veteran offensive weapon:

This was not about hyping the veteran, now about blowing smoke to let down Adams' guard. This was bona fide respect, an homage to a veteran who brings so much to the team. The Rams' offense has been begging for someone to not only shake the funk out of this offense but to inspire HC Sean McVay once more.

And so far, he is doing exactly that.

(5) - A respectable NFL resume that speaks for itself

You have to go back to the 2014 NFL Draft to see how NFL draft analysts viewed Fresno State rookie WR prospect Davante Adams. Selected with the 53rd overall pick in Round 2 of the 2014 NFL Draft, Adams eventually became a favorite target of then-quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But despite Davante Adams' spectacular NFL career, he did not light up the football field in his first couple of NFL seasons.

He did not break the 1000+ receiving yards benchmark until his fifth NFL season.

That is what Davante Adams has been sharing with his new Rams teammates. This is not a player who tells a captive audience how great he is, or has become. This is a leader who is willing to share his history of struggling to find a place in the NFL, fighting off self-doubts, and persevering over adversity.

He is relatable to his teammates. And as he tells others how he struggled, he has been earning their respect.

Adams has developed an elite catch radius and ability to create separation because his need to survive in a very competitive NFL demanded that he do so. Necessity is the mother of invention. Adams, to continue to play in professional football, engineered the skills needed that would allow him to extend his career.

(4) - A timeless fit in this offense

The Rams' front office has done a remarkable job of retooling the roster to fit the needs and specifications of the coaching staff. But over time, the Rams roster has inadvertently devolved from a cast of dissimilar but complementary skilled players into a band of clones. Almost all of the Rams' wide receivers exhibited an uncanny similarity to WR Cooper Kupp.

Almost all running backs on the roster last season, all four of them, were more than a little similar to RB Kyren Williams. And even all tight ends on the roster last season had identical styles to TE Tyler Higbee. But like any attempt at duplication, the copies were not as good as the originals. Well, unless you are WR Puka Nacua. So far, Nacua is forging his career path in the NFL. While heavily influenced in his first two seasons by Kupp, Nacua is more physical and robust than Kupp.

But Nacua has a new player to observe and learn from, venerable WR Davante Adams.

Adams admits that there are only so many routes to run, and only so many combinations that an offense can offer. But Davante Adams loves the layers of this offense, and already 'gets' what this team is all about. But he is curiously appreciating the team culture, the passion, and competitiveness that jump out at him, and the fierce composure of QB Matthew Stafford.

(3) - A fountain of youth

There is nothing more powerful to a 32-year-old NFL wide receiver than to feel young again. Professional football is a young man's sport, and the reality is that Davante Adams has more NFL seasons in his rear-view mirror than his front windshield. But with a passionate player who rediscovers the full and unfettered passion of his early NFL days, the sky is the limit.

The Rams are a successful team. But this is not a coincidence, or by accident. The Rams football organization has learned that passionate players are self-motivated to find their paths to success. And the Rams have made it a point to load up this roster with talented players who love the game.

When you love what you are doing, you are never working a day in your life. And that adage perfectly describes this team's mood. The Rams players are having fun because they love what they are doing. And that fun is infectious:

So what. A veteran feels young again. Well, if you hadn't connected the dots, let me help you out. A happy player is a productive player. And the elite playmaking ability of Davante Adams is already beginning to shine through:

I don't mean to point out the obvious, but it's going to be a fun season for HC Sean McVay, drawing up plays for a new elite wide receiver. It's going to be a fun season for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw to Adams. And it's going to be a fun season for every player on the Rams roster, getting to see Adams making players, drawing the attention of defensive backs, and putting up yards, first downs, and touchdowns for the team.

Can one player truly make that much of a difference? Probably not. But which snowflake is responsible for the avalanche? Which raindrop causes a flood? The Rams are loaded with talent. It only takes one player to ignite everyone. And while the Rams have many talented players, few are having more fun than veteran Davante Adams.

(2) - Mentoring young Rams receivers

Perhaps the bonus benefit that few acknowledge but will pay dividends for years to come is how dramatically playing alongside and against Davante Adams in training camp will benefit younger players. Young wide receivers and defensive backs face still competition to earn reps in training camp, and hopefully snaps when the 2025 NFL season begins.

Even accomplished young players like Puka Nacua are benefiting from the sage wisdom and experiences that Adams imparts to them. It's already beginning to yield impressive results, as Nacua and Adams have already been noticed sharing specific drills and notes between organized team activities.

There are no other seasoned veterans like Davante Adams. WR Tutu Atwell is returning for a fifth NFL season, but his superpower is speed, and that simply cannot be coached up for other players. Puka Nacua is back for his third NFL season, but his superpower is physicality. That is a difficult skill to impart through coaching as well.

Everyone benefits from the elusiveness of Davante Adams. He has even been mentioned by DBs Quentin Lake and Emmanuel Forbes as positively contributing to their defensive development this season.

(1) - He is thrilled to be on this team

Give and take. That is how we all navigate the challenges that each of us faces in life. But how much to give, and how much to take? That is the question that, at its very core, defines us. And that is the life lesson that has led veteran wide receiver Davante Adams to the Rams' doorstep. You see, this time he is following his own heart, and taking the path to his happiness. Let me explain.

When WR Davante Adams left the Green Bay Packers, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders to catch passes from his friend, QB Derek Carr. But Carr did not remain the quarterback of the Raiders. His next stop was to join the New York Jets to reunite with his former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. But that did not result in the type of success that either player had expected.

When Adams chose to sign with the Los Angeles Rams, this was all about what Davante Adams wanted. And so far, he seems ecstatic over his decision:

Of course, it's nearly impossible to be discouraged, disappointed, frustrated, or even a bit peeved at this time of year in the NFL, particularly when the team that you play for holds minicamp at the exotic location of Maui, Hawaii. So this is certainly not a test of his emotional well-being. But when the season starts, will anything ruin his joy? Last season, he was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders (2-1) to the New York Jets (3-6), so he has had run-ins with bad NFL performers.

The truth is that the Rams love the game, and that passion serves to pave the way to the team's success. It's not an easy task, but one that veteran wide receiver Davante Adams knows all too well. The difference is, it used to be his job. Now, it's his passion once more.

As always, thanks for reading.

Check out some other recent Rams roster articles you may enjoy