Why Davante Adams may be a great signing, and what the Rams face in making it so

Be safe! The words that I typed out were foolish, I know. When it comes to Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead, he is going to do what he is going to do. And despite my urgings and warnings about veterans who seemed to make no sense to add this offseason, Snead went ahead and did it anyway. And so, I learn another valuable lesson. The Rams are not going to ask for my permission to do what they feel is best for the team.

But I had logical reasons to reject the idea of adding Adams on principle. The Rams had already given the heave-ho to 32-year-old WR Cooper Kupp because the team did not want to be on the hook of paying him $20 million in 2025 for diminishing return. And the team investment of $10 million for one year of WR Tutu Atwell suggested that the team was already committing to giving Atwell a shot a the other wide receiver role.

But then the Rams did the unthinkable. Well, more like the team went against the grain and signed 32-year-old wide receiver Davante Adams in a move that seems to defy the logic of the other two personnel moves at the wide receiver position.

Did the Rams balk at the thought of promoting WR Tutu Atwell so quickly after pouring $10 million into his pockets? Or did the Rams front office plan to pay him that much money to sit on the bench in 2025 just in case? With Davante Adams on the Rams roster in 2025, the offense will target either Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, or Tyler Higbee. There are not more targets left to throw to Atwell, Jordan Whittington, or whoever else joins this offense.

I don't know how to react to Davante Adams' arrival to the LA Rams roster, to be honest. Is he bound to be the next Odell Beckham Jr., a veteran who can slide into this offense and return to his top-playing form? Or will he be a repeat of free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson, a player who had significant success elsewhere, but simply did not gel in this offense?

Or will he split the difference and end up in the Demarcus Robinson category? That is, a veteran wide receiver who flashes at times, and can score better than other wide receivers. But whose ceiling is lower then the best wide receivers in the NFL.

Let me continue to mull it over, while I share some facts and statistics.

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The Rams new offense looks great, on paper

One thing that does jump out with the addition of Davante Adams in the Rams offense is how much different and dangerous this offense now appears, on paper at least. Adams is a veteran wide receiver who is a five-time NFL Pro Bowler and a three-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver. He brings a different skill set to the Rams offense, a natural ability to create separation without going into motion. And that ability to create separation organically has made him so very dangerous for so long.

On paper, the Rams typically look great. But this is a team that asks more from its players because, for the entire thing to work, players have to do more. For the Rams, every player on the offensive side of the football (with maybe the exception of the quarterback) has to know how to block before they get a great deal of action. For running backs, that means blocking comes before carrying the football.

For wide receivers, it means blocking comes before catching passes. While that rule remains firmly entrenched in the Rams offensive system, the team has been known to stray a bit for a name that is recognized among even casual NFL fans. When the team had an opportunity to trade for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, HC Sean McVay was relentless in his pursuit.

Now, it appears that McVay was smitten with the 'gotta have him,' virus over WR Davante Adams.

Why not? Davante Adams is as close to a sure thing in terms of putting up 14+ games, 1000+ receiving yards, and 8+ receiving touchdowns as there is in the league right now.

Still, I cannot shake the need to balance optimism with skepticism. After all, the Rams did not exactly fare well over the free agents signed in 2024. So, I need to do a better job of managing expectations. If I do so, perhaps that will push the outcome firmly back to the positive side.

Con 5: But, can he block?

With any free agent wide receiver who signs with the Rams, the first question we should pause to ask is whether he has the ability to block. In the cane of Davante Adams, despite the fact that he arrives as a 32-year-old receiver with an impressive portfolio, it still applies. After all, the Rams offense is designed to get blocks from the edges, so if not Adams then who?

Well, don't look now, but Adams is not very proficient at one of the fundamental tasks imposed on the position in the Rams offense. In short, he struggles at blocking:

That's alarming. Why? Can't the Rams make an exception for a receiver like Adams? Here's why that may not be the wisest idea. The Rams have come to depend on blocks from wide receivers. If Davante Adams is not up to the challenge, then the Rams offensive playbook becomes limited if he steps onto the football field. When that happens, defenses get the upper hand.

But even if the Rams can disguise their intentions through motion and formations, the team will need to use Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington more frequently in a blocking role. While that could allow Adams to stay focused on catching passes, how much wear and tear will be inflicted upon the receivers who must now focus on blocking? It's not fair to them to expect them to shoulder more blocking duties. But that may be the only work-around solution.

Con 4: Many fans wonder if this is Allen Robinson 2.0

The LA Rams lost OLB Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills after winning Super Bowl LVI. After amassing a fund to sign him, the team had not Plan B option left to shore up the teams pass rush. And so, the team pivoted to a rather accomplished wide receiver named Allen Robinson. Robinson was a physical receiver, a player who had a series of solid years. And the Rams were moving on from veteran wide receiver Robert Woods.

It seemed like a match made in heaven. But . . . it wasn't. You see, upon close inspection, Allen Robinson succeeded elsewhere because he was targeted so frequently. He was targeted over 150 times four times in his career. When that happened, he averaged 1,170 receiving yards and just over eight touchdowns. When he played for the Rams, he was only targeted 52 times.

The problem may seem like nothing, but is this deja vu all over again? Since 2016, Davante Adams has averaged nearly 150 targets per season. There is no way that the Rams offense can be expected to sustain that level of usage in this offense, particularly if he is not a reliable blocker. And so, have the Rams committed to him to become the top wide receiver in this offense already?

Since winning Super Bowl LVI, Cooper Kupp has been limited in terms of availability, but has averaged just under 96 targets per season. Third-year wide receiver Puka Nacua has averaged 133 targets per season in the past two years. So either the Rams offense has to plan on rerouting 150 passes to Davante Adams in each of the next two seasons to justify his lofty contract, or expectation for Adams are already way too high.

The Rams need to add a young elite wide receiver is off the board in terms of draft needs.

But is this plan sound? If the Rams do not keep up Adams thirst for targets, he fails at putting up his 1000+ receiving yards. But if the team does sustain that heavy usage, does the offense become more dangerous, or simply more predictable? I don't have the answer for you just yet, but the risk accompanies the reward in this situation.

Con 3: He triggered Jimmy Garoppolo's benching with the Raiders

Is it purely competitive spirit or ill-tempered diva that compels a receiver to lash out at his quarterback if and when the offense struggles. The Rams have not shied away form that level of conflict in the past. After all, the team signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after his unceremonious release from the Cleveland Browns. If you recall, OBJ was frustrated with then QB Baker Mayfield.

The Rams signed Baker Mayfield to become the team's emergency backup quarterback the following season. But Odell Beckham Jr. was a free agent by then. And so, the Rams aligned with both sides of that dispute, but nothing was made of it.

WR Davante Adams feud with then QB Jimmy Garoppolo in the Las Vegas Raiders made NFL headlines in 2023. It was that ire and vitriol from Adams that ultimately led to Jimmy G's benching on the Raiders. Once benched, the Raiders were painted into a corner, and were forced to release Garoppolo at the end of the season.

That was bad for the Raiders, good for the Rams. You see, the Rams signed Jimmy Garoppolo to be the team's veteran backup quarterback for 2024. And by all accounts, the Rams coaching staff loved his work-ethic, upbeat outlook, and ability to run the scout team flawlessly.

But with the addition of Davante Adams, and the expiration of Jimmy Garoppolo's one-year contract, is there any chance that the Rams would knowingly and deliberately place this ongoing feud into their own locker room? I don't see how that is possible. In short, Adams arrival almost certainly signals the departure of Jimmy Garoppolo.

Con 2: Was he regression merely a product of bad offensive designs?

While there is no denying that Davante Adams can handle a heavy workload, some NFL fans have defended his drop of NFL production on the football field due to a poorly designed offense. And there are indications that contributed to his regression. But his best NFL seasons were not a factor of great offensive design, but of tremendous volumes of targets.

Davante Adams best two consecutive NFL seasons fell in 2021 for the Green Bay Packers while catching passes from QB Aaron Rodgers, and 2022 for the Las Vegas Raiders while catching passes from QB Derek Carr. He gained 3,069 receiving yards and scored 25 touchdowns in that two year period. But the thing is, he was targeted 349 times in that time span.

But shouldn't targets make Adams' production more economically feasible? Well, only if being thrown to was the goal. But for any NFL wide receiver, catching passes, gaining yards, and scoring touchdowns is the ultimate goal. To justify the Rams' extension of WR Tutu Atwell over Cooper Kupp, I did some ROI calculations to compare what the cost of offense from Kupp vs. Atwell looked like. So revising the same comparison to include Davante Adams' cost from 2024, here's what I found:

• Cooper Kupp's catches in 2022-2024 earned him over $200k per catch
  Tutu Atwell's catches in 2022-2024 earned him under $36.9k per catch, but Davante Adams earned him more than a whopping $329k per catch
• Cooper Kupp earned $17.8k for each receiving yard from 2022-2024 while Tutu Atwell earned just $2.7k for each receiving yard over the same time frame. Meanwhile, Davante Adams earned himself more than the outlandish sum of $26K for each receiving yard.
• Cooper Kupp earned nearly $2.4 million for each touchdown scored from 2022-2024, while Tutu Atwell earned just $900k for each touchdown scored over the same timespan. Davante Adams, on the other hand, cost $4 million for each touchdown scored in 2024.

So the Rams may not have used this ROI analysis to construct their contract offer for WR Davante Adams. But should they have done so?

Con 1: Can the Rams unlock young WRs in offense after Adams arrival?

Yes, the Rams football team want to score more points in 2025. But the team does not appear to be rolling dice on young offensive weapons, at least not from the primary means of adding scoring to this unit. After the Rams added a rookie running back in 2022, a rookie wide receiver in 2023, and another rookie wide receiver in 2024, have the Rams suspended searching for offensive starters in the 2025 NFL Draft?

Of course, the team is still expected to add a talented tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft. But with Davante Adams on board through 2026, this offense has suddenly taken on the form of a win now group. And that makes some sense, as the team still projects veterans OT Rob Havenstein, TE Tyler Higbee, QB Matthew Stafford, and now WR Davante Adams to start for the team in 2025. With all four veterans facing limited playing time remaining in their careers, the window to win a Super Bowl is closing, quickly.

But if the Rams had expectations for larger roles for RB Blake Corum, WR Tutu Atwell, WR Jordan Whittington, TE Colby Parkinson, or even TE Davis Allen in this offense for 2025, I think Adams' arrival has squelched some of that volume. While larger roles can occur on a case-by-case basis, I'm skeptical over any suggestion that the Rams sold Adams on coming to the team if they intend to experiment with young untested players growing into larger roles in the offense.

Okay, those are the reasons for my reservations. But this is a two-sided issue, and there are just as many reasons to feel positive. What are they? So glad you asked.

Pro 5: Putting Adams into motion is a cheat code he has not enjoyed

The fact that veteran wide receiver Davante Adams has accomplished so much in his NFL career is even more astonishing when you consider how he has been used in offenses. For Adams, offensive coordinators have relied on his ability to create separation thanks to his uncanny ability to throw defensive backs off the scent by his arsenal of quick steps, shimmies, head fakes, and double moves as he starts his route.

Touted the 'King of Releases,' is not a nickname that Adams has earned flippantly. He is a player whose magic show begins at the moment the football is snapped. And it has ensured that he creates significant separation that he will enjoy throughout his route. WIth the Rams moving on from Cooper Kupp, Adams will take over as the slot receiver. How did he do there in 2024?

The Rams love to put receivers in motion. That tendency allows veteran QB Matthew Stafford to get a quick read of defensive coverages, and gives the receivers advance knowledge of who they will be up against in terms of linebacker, cornerback, or safety. So far, Adams has not seen much motion in his past, partly because he can create adequate separation from a full stop. But with motion, Adams ability to create separation should improve significantly. More separation equals more receiving yards.

Pro 4: He has better durability and production than Cooper Kupp

Okay, now for the elephant in the room. The Rams balked at paying veteran WR Cooper Kupp $20 million in 2025. But upon inspection, the team appears to be investing at least that amount of money into Davante Adams. Why the switcheroo? Well, it starts with availability. Since 2022, Davante Adams has averaged 16 games per season. Cooper Kupp has averaged just 11 games per season.

That means that Adams shows up and suits up far more frequently than Kupp. And that point is driven home in this video from NFL Insider Steve Wyche:

There is a lot depending on the Rams offense in 2025. No goals can be met if the Rams coaching staff is spinning its wheels trying to sort through who is and isn't healthy enough to play in any given week. So the injury history of a player not only impacts the team from not playing, but limits the coaching staff's ability to work on miscues and miscommunication and focus on preparing new players for starting roles.

With Adams aboard, the Rams coaches are more likely to have the bandwidth to focus on improving the team on a week-to-week basis. That is a solid advantage that is seldom discussed.

Pro 3: It's not all on Puka Nacua now

While the Rams may have suggested with the imminent trade/release of WR Cooper Kupp that Puka Nacua is ready to be the star of the passing game, his ability to put up touchdowns has not yet matched his ability to catch the football and move the chains. In two seasons, Nacua is averaging 4.5 touchdowns per season, hardly the stuff that leads to a high-scoring offense. In fact, with the Rams likely to lose both WR Demarcus Robinson and Cooper Kupp this offseason, the offense falls further into a scoring deficit.

Between Robinson and Kupp, the Rams will need to make up 13 touchdowns scored. That is a lot of scoring to impose on a young wide receiver who is still learning how to put points up on the scoreboard. As we've seen, that is a skill that Puka Nacua has yet to master.

Davante Adams has mastered that ability. In his 11 NFL seasons, he has scored at least 10+ touchdowns on six separate occasions. And if you hold the 'bad offense,' rationalization as to why he has struggled when he has, then you likely consider him more likely than not to put up 10+ touchdowns in the Rams offense in 2025.

The Rams have buoyed the careers of Odell Beckham Jr. and Demarcus Robinson. Davante Adams is just the next veteran wide receiver in the queue.

Pro 2: The Rams are clearly All-In now

While the team could have gone either way in terms of reconstructing the offense, the Rams commitment to 32-year-old Davante Adams on a two-year deal (which coincides with Matthew Stafford's contract, by the way) indicates that the team believes that they are close enough to winning it all to invest in short-window veterans.

And if the team can remain healthy, the offense certainly commands respect from opposing defensive coordinators. Just look at how the offense looks already, and the 2025 NFL Free Agency market has only just opened for business:

That does not reflect the team's roster carrying WR Jordan Whittington, TE Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen, or RB Blake Corum either. While there is certainly more room at the Inn for offensive skill players, the roster is no longer screaming out needs for immediate contributors.

Pro 1: Check one more 'need' off the team's draft shopping list

The LA Rams have eight draft picks entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and the team has no 'gotta get' needs for the draft right now. With this draft bursting with talent at running back, defensive line, and tight end, all areas the front office could invest in if the right prospect is on the board when the Rams make a selection, the team has an opportunity to upgrade the roster significantly.

This rookie class is not viewed as exceptionally deep at the wide receiver position. That does not bode well for the Rams, who are stepping up to the podium with the 26th overall pick. The team could find NFL starting-caliber talent at offensive tackle, tight end, running back, or perhaps even a franchise quarterback who can sit for a year and learn his craft from veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.

So getting the Rams out of shopping for an immediate impact player at the wide receiver position is great news for a team that is limited in early picks. After the Rams 26th overall pick, the team does not return to the podium until the 90th overall pick. That is a lot of time to watch talented players come off the board.

But don't expect the NFL Draft to fall flawlessly. Every year, the Rams scouting department proves to the NFL that the draft process is flawed, that great NFL players frequently fall to Day 3, and that the Rams do better by sticking to their board than chasing players. The Rams have no reason to trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft now.

That allows the team an opportunity to flex its draft day superpower. Namely, letting diamonds in the rough to fall to the team. The Rams have been superb in finding the best available player when the team stands pat. The Rams selected OLB Jared Verse in 2024 and LG Steve Avila in 2023. There is no reason to doubt the Rams ability to find talent in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Okay. I've shared by thoughts, and given reasons why those thoughts have plagued me for the past 18 hours or so. So what is my final verdict?

Projected Grade for this signing: B

I am wary over the Rams ability to push enough targets to Davante Adams to keep him fully engaged in this offense while managing to involve more weapons in 2025. But if the Rams can get the ball out to Adams often enough, this could be a match made in heaven.

As always, thanks for reading.

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