Davante Adams is good as advertised

Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – The history of the Los Angeles Rams is laced with some pretty good wide receivers. The names of Flipper Anderson, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Harold Jackson, and Henry Ellard immediately come to mind when discussing the all-time greats. 

Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are in that conversation as well. After signing a two-year deal with the Rams earlier this year, Davante Adams very well could join this exclusive party. It would not be too hard to see this scenario playing out. 

Eleven seasons in, Adams remains one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. When the Rams signed Adams to a two-year deal in the offseason, they were not treading down memory lane for an all-time great whose best days have faded. 

Through OTAs and training camp, Adams has looked every bit like the mercurial wide receiver that has made him a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. His career numbers (957 receptions, 11, 844 yards in receiving, and 103 touchdowns)  are self-explanatory, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.  

“Obviously, his numbers and his career are speaking for itself,” LaFleur said after a training camp practice. “He’s in such great shape physically. He’s in such great shape mentally. He’s just having fun being out here. It’s training camp. We haven’t put the pads on or anything like that, so it still has resemblance of OTAs obviously. When you get just even a little bit closer and you get through the summer, you can see the guys kick up a little bit. He’s in such a good spot. It’s like he’s been here the whole time, so it’s great to have him.”

After spending the bulk of his career playing with one Hall of Fame quarterback, the tantalizing prospect of Adams catching passes from another future HOF inductee in Matthew Stafford is exciting to Adams. 

That quarterback-to-wide receiver symmetry, however, will have to take a backseat for a while until Stafford can get back on the field. As of now, Stafford has not taken reps during training camp. That might be cause for concern for most people, but not Rams head coach Sean McVay. 

“I don’t have any reason to be concerned,” McVay said. 

With that said, adjustments have to be made. By his response, Adams doesn’t seem too worried, either. 

“Obviously, on paper you’d love to have everybody be healthy, but that’s just not the reality of how football goes,” said Adams. “There’s going to be days where maybe I’m not going to [practice] or somebody else isn’t and you find ways to still make it work.” 

Adams looks better than the hype. It’s one thing to see Adams on a television screen running past defenders and making earth-deying catches. It’s quite different seeing Adams up close and in person. Adams makes the difficult look effortless and routine. He looks like he’s having fun. 

More importantly, after spending the 2024 season with the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders, he feels like he’s right at home playing for the Rams, which has been “surprising in good ways,” Adams said. 

“Just not expecting things to be as good as what they seem and because that’s often not how it goes. It’s usually not as sweet… ‘everything that glitter isn’t gold’, but it’s just looking pretty golden over here,” he remarked.

“Like I said to [Head Coach] Sean [McVay] earlier, it doesn’t guarantee us to go and win a Super Bowl or win 10 games or one game. It just gives you opportunity when you have the right people and the right mindset. Starting it off, it puts you in a good spot and I feel it’s a prerequisite to be able to be a championship caliber team,” Adams went on to say. 

It was Adams’ turn to take to the podium after a recent training camp practice during which he produced more than a few plays that generated raucous oohs and aahs sprinkled with loud applause.

Adams tackled a myriad of subjects in his brief press conference, from mentoring younger teammates,  taking reps from other quarterbacks not named Matthew Stafford, and his conversations with McVay after practices. 

“I value it every time. It may seem organic, but sometimes I seek it,” Adams said. “I’ll see him [McVay] over there and I go walk over, and I just know he’s going to say something either funny or something that we can all grow from. He’s just that type of person. It’s become a really natural connection between him and I.”

The uniqueness of Adams as one of the top receivers in the NFL goes beyond the five straight seasons of 1,000 yards or more in receiving that he has recorded. His greatness as a pass-catcher extends past the 100-plus touchdown receptions that he has hauled in during his career. 

McVay is a big fan of Adams as a football player. He is an even bigger admirer of the wide receiver and what he does off the field. 

“I think you’re getting to know the things that are important to him, his family, what a great father and what a great husband he is,” McVay stated. “He’s picked up a real passion for golf and he’s pretty damn good at it. But he’s also pretty good at football and passionate about that. He’s just a special human being and obviously, he’s been a great player so excited to be able to partner up with him.”  

Featured Image: Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a play with the ball during a training camp practice at Loyola Marymount University on July 26, 2025. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usOnline