The Los Angeles Rams offense had the eighth-fewest dropbacks (594) last season, yet threw for the 10th-most yards (4,096). And that was with Puka Nacua only playing 11 games while Cooper Kupp suited up for only 12.
Nacua started all 17 games his rookie season and there is much optimism heading into his third professional season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was brought back on a $60 million deal, but things got contentious with Cooper Kupp.
Kupp was once the face of the franchise, catching 145 of 191 targets for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021. It was all downhill after that. Due to a plethora of injuries, Kupp played nine, 12 and 12 games in the next three seasons.
During this offseason, Sean McVay told Kupp that he will be traded. While that move hasn’t transpired yet, the signing of Davante Adams on Sunday all but assures of the split.
Like Kupp, things have been tumultous over the last few seasons for Adams. During his final two seasons in Green Bay, Adams caught 238 passes for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was then traded to Las Vegas and things remained rosy, as he caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns. Things began to deteriorate, though. While he hauled in 103 passes for 1,144 yards and 8 touchdowns, the quarterback play was porous and inconsistent, leading to frustation.
Adams was then traded to the New York Jets to pair once again with Aaron Rodgers, but Rodgers was a shell of himself, resulting in 67 catches on 114 targets for 854 yards and 7 touchdowns. The 11.1 Rec EPA was the second-worst of his career.
Now Adams pairs with one of the top offensive minds in the game, a Super Bowl winning quarterback that still possesses a cannon of an arm, and a young, dominant receiver to keep attention off him.
That said, I doubt Adams gets peppered with targets like he has in the past. Nacua will likely have that role, but Adams could have some spike games from time to time. If the cost to acquire is low, then Adams could be an attractive fantasy target, but he will likely get overdrafted. Let’s not forget that McVay likes to run a balanced offense, so the passing volume won’t be there to feed both Nacua and Adams on a weekly basis.
