Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams Building Strong Connection at Rams Training Camp

Throughout his career, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has gotten the most out of wide receivers that he’s played with. In Detroit, Calvin Johnson broke the single-season receiving yards record. During Stafford’s first season with the Rams, Cooper Kupp won the triple crown. Puka Nacua has had three productive years to start his career, in large part because of the connection that he and Stafford have built.

When Stafford is able to develop chemistry with a wide receiver, that level of trust carries over to the field on Sundays. While Davante Adams led the NFL in touchdowns last year with 14, he and Stafford seemed to be slightly off at times to start the year.

The Rams signed Adams in the 2025 offseason to be a player who could help beat man coverage. It’s an area where Rams receivers had struggled at times, whereas Adams’ release, route-running, and body control made him very good at it.

Stafford and Adams Needed Time to Get on the Same Page

For a quarterback and wide receiver, it can take time to develop a strong chemistry. After signing Adams, Stafford missed the entirety of training camp with a back injury and two duo missed valuable time building that connection.

From Week 1 to Week 7 last year, Adams was seventh in the NFL in targets with 62, but he caught just 31 of those. His 50 percent catch rate ranked 62nd out of 66 qualifying receivers. Some of that was on Adams with drops. Adams’ 29.4 percent contested catch rate was the lowest of his career and speaks to him and Stafford being on different wavelengths at times.

“When you're as intentional as they are, repetition ends up being the mother of learning. It's also the best way to be able to develop rapport with each other and that's so important,” said head coach Sean McVay. “I think they really hit their stride. I think a turning point, if you will, was that Jacksonville game and I thought they had a really good connection…They're always really trying to challenge each other.”

Much of the inconsistency early in the season could be attributed to Stafford and Adams not always being on the same page. Over the back half of the season, Adams' catch rate improved to 59.2 percent.

The Rams Are Already Seeing the Benefits This Summer

Stafford and Adams built a strong connection in the red zone, but outside of that area is where they couldn’t find consistency. This offseason, Stafford has been able to practice during training camp and that connection is already reaping the rewards.

This is the TD pass from Matthew Stafford to Davante Adams I was referring to earlier. Hard for any CB/DB to beat that ball placement by Stafford and the late hands by Adamspic.twitter.com/FOyc3umDzz
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) August 3, 2026

Through the first week and a half of training camp, the Stafford and Adams connection has been almost unstoppable. As noted by team reporter Stu Jackson during Monday’s practice, two of Stafford’s best throws were over-the-shoulder touchdown passes to Adams.

“We’re getting a whole different start than what we did last year,” said Adams. “I think we put together a pretty good product last season, but any time you can have these grinding days where you come out here, play ball and lock in on the details, that'll help you be in a much better position when it's time to really go.”

A Full Offseason Has Changed Everything

This time of year is incredibly important for Stafford to build a connection with his wide receivers. When Kupp missed part of training camp with a hamstring injury, this is when Stafford developed chemistry with Nacua. That carried into the regular season even after Kupp returned from IR in Week 5. After Kupp came off of IR in Week 5, Nacua still led the Rams in receptions and yards the rest of the season.

Matthew Stafford just threw a beautiful no look pass to Davante Adams😮‍💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/RN3g2tL3T9
— Ethan Shirazi (@Ethanshirazi24) July 29, 2026

Stafford has shown throughout his career that when he develops chemistry with someone, he tends to lock on to that player. That’s not to say that the chemistry that Adams and Stafford have developed this offseason will result in a down year for Nacua. With that said, it’s a testament to how that chemistry and trust carries over into games.

Training Camp Could Unlock Even More in 2026

The connection between Stafford and Adams will only benefit from the chemistry they’ve been able to develop in training camp. Last year, they spent almost half the season figuring each other out and Adams still led the league in touchdowns. Now that they’ve had a full season together and have been able to continue that into training camp this year, it should only benefit their on-field connection.

Adams is certainly getting older, but after considering trading him this offseason, the Rams decided it was best to keep him around. “This guy is a pillar for our football team. He's a key leader and critical factor,” said McVay.

Instead of having to learn from each other on the fly, Stafford and Adams have been able to work through the kinks in practice. Given that the duo still managed to be successful while they were developing chemistry, it’s fair to wonder what they can do now that they’ve had a full offseason together.

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