Davante Adams did not make any bold declarations.
After the three-time All-Pro receiver signed with the Rams, he modestly described what he could provide a team that advanced to the NFC divisional round last season.
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“I’m just here to be another piece to hopefully get over the hump,” he said.
Coach Sean McVay has grander designs for a team that will be led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, and an offense also featuring Adams, receiver Puka Nacua, running back Kyren Williams and as many as four tight ends.
After Stafford worked through a back issue and finally began practicing for the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans, the 17th-year pro — like Adams many months before — kept it simple.
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“I’m just happy I get to be back out there,” he said.
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As are the Rams, a team regarded as a legitimate threat to make a third Super Bowl appearance under McVay.
“Having Matthew back is just like, ‘Yeah, all right, we’re ready to roll,” Williams said.
Stafford, 37, remains the key for an offense aiming to score much more than last season. Stafford passed for 20 touchdowns, with eight interceptions for a unit that averaged 21.6 points per game, which ranked 20th among 32 teams.
The Rams were 15th in offense (331.4 yards per game), 10th in passing (227.5) and 24th in rushing (103.8).
The Rams adjusted Stafford’s contract last spring — he will carry a $47.5-million salary-cap number this season, according to Overthecap.com — and now he will manage a back issue while seeking a second Super Bowl title.
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“There’s unfinished business for him,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.
Wide receivers Puka Nacua, left, and Davante Adams will be at the forefront of the Rams’ passing attack this season. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Adams, 32, and Nacua, 24, are seeking their first Super Bowl titles. And they could give the Rams their first pair of 1,000-yard receivers since Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp achieved the feat in 2019.
The remaking of the offense began after last season when the Rams decided to move on from Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year and Super Bowl LVI most valuable player.
Adams played eight seasons for the Green Bay Packers, two-plus with the Las Vegas Raiders and a half-season with the New York Jets. He has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving seven times, including the last six in a row.
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“He can win inside, he can win outside, he’s so smart, and he and Matthew really see the game through a similar lens,” McVay said.
Nacua established rookie receiving records in 2023. Despite playing in only 11 games last season, he finished with 79 catches for 990 yards and three touchdowns.
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Tutu Atwell, who signed a one-year, $10-million contract, second-year pro Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith and rookie Konata Mumpfield are other receivers.
All have raved about Adams’ talent, experience and willingness to share information.
Williams carried the ball 316 times last season. In August, the Rams rewarded the fourth-year pro with a $23-million extension. McVay and LaFleur plan to give Blake Corum and, perhaps, rookie Jarquez Hunter opportunities to take the load off Williams.
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“I expect, and kind of know, that my reps are going to get cut down,” Williams said. “So for me, it’s making the most of the ones I do get, and being able to not only run the ball, but contribute in the pass game, the blocking game, all that stuff.”
Running back Kyren Williams, left, will be a central component of the Rams offense, even if he doesn’t see 316 carries like last season. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Stafford and the backs will operate behind a line that has welcomed the return of center Coleman Shelton, but includes proven veteran tackles facing questions about their durability.
On Monday, left tackle Alaric Jackson, who received a $35-million extension, will be a full participant in practice for the first time since he was diagnosed with blood clots in his legs in June. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, an 11th-year pro, is coming off surgery on both shoulders.
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The rushing and passing attacks are expected to morph with four tight ends — Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson — on the roster.
McVay has typically deployed one tight end. Now it could be two, three or possibly four.
“Not saying it’s going to be exponentially much more,” Higbee said, “but… when you’ve got that talent in the room you want to get it on the field and use it.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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