The Los Angeles Rams signed Davante Adams to replace Cooper Kupp in the offseason, and the early internal reviews have been strong. However, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is less optimistic that Adams will deliver as expected next season.
Barnwell noted Adams’ move from the New York Jets to the Rams with Sean McVay at head coach and Matthew Stafford at quarterback as a step up.
However, he also questions his ability to produce on less volume with an unfamiliar QB.
“The 32-year-old Adams’ underlying metrics from last season suggest he’s still an impactful player,” Barnwell wrote on June 3.
“ESPN’s receiver score metric ranked Adams 70th last season, which isn’t quite as disappointing as it sounds. That metric is broken into three components. Adams ranked 15th in open score, suggesting his ability to shake away from defensive backs and find space is still present. He was solid by YAC score, but his catch score ranked 153rd out of 159 pass catchers.”
Adams signed a two-year, $44 million contract with the Rams in free agency.
He caught 85 passes for 1,063 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024. Last season snapped his streak of 100-plus-reception campaigns at four. He has also gone over 1,000 receiving yards in five straight seasons.
Still, Barnwell insisted that there was “more downside here than the fit might suggest” for Adams with the Rams.
Rams’ History Looms Large for Davante Adams Signing
GettyDavante Adams #17 of the New York Jets walks the field before a game against the New England Patriots.
However, Barnwell noted failed Rams fliers Allen Robinson, Brandin Cooks, and Sammy Watkins, or even short-lived tenures like Odell Beckham Jr., as reasons to be cautious about Adams.
Each of those players arrived with extensive injury histories, save for Cooks. He was the only one among the group to last more than one season in LA.
“The most likely scenario is that Adams is a solid No. 2 receiver who doesn’t get the sort of target share he’s used to while still influencing games,” Barnwell wrote. “There’s a universe in which he feasts on one-on-one coverage and makes it back to the Pro Bowl, but this is a spot where the Rams have swung and missed recently.”
Adams has been durable in recent seasons.
He appeared in all 17 games in 2022 and 2023. He dealt with a hamstring issue amid his trade request last season. However, Adams appeared in a full regular season slate three times over his first eight NFL seasons, all spent with the Green Bay Packers.
He had another season in which he only missed one contest, which was in 2018. Then, he sat out the finale while resting for the playoffs.
Davante Adams Drawing Rave Reviews
GettyDavante Adams #17 of the New York Jets in action against the Los Angeles Rams.
Adams’ future production is subject to speculation. However, his new teammates and coaches have only spoken positively about his impact so far.
Puka Nacua, whom Barnwell believes Adams complements better than Kupp, spoke glowingly.
“I think the positive impact has already been felt from Davante. From the moment he walked in, he has been willing to offer information, to have new drills, to a complete different mindset of somebody who’s played in various offenses, very different schemes, and stuff like that. So, it’s been exciting to hear from him,” Nacua told reporters on June 3.
“The suddenness and the ability to steal leverage at the line of scrimmage has been something that he thrives at, and everybody in the NFL knows that that’s something that is one of his greatest assets.”
“To be able to figure that out and how that works in our route concepts and the timing of our offense … I’d say that’s been one of the biggest things,” Nacua said.
More than just instruction, Adams has impressed Rams OC Mike LaFleur in action.
“You know the guys that are just a little bit different when the ball’s in the air, and how they contort their body, and just go up and get it like basketball players,” LaFleur told reporters on June 3. “He’s north of 30. But the way he’s out there, it doesn’t look like it. He’s got a lot of juice in the tank, and it’s been fun to watch.”
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