By nearly any measure the Los Angeles Rams had one of the NFL’s top offenses in 2025:
- Yards per game: 1st at 395
- Passing yards per game: 1st at 268
- Points per game: 1st at 30.5
- Rushing yards per game: 7th at 127
On the surface it seems like a wild take to say that LA needs more offensive firepower. But they do.
The Rams can be too heavily reliant at times on star receiver Puka Nacua. Nacua is the engine of the offense and seems to make the play when his team needs it most. But the young pass catcher has been dealt his fair share of injury struggles and plays a very physical brand of football. Nacua doesn’t need replaced, although the Rams do need other options and insurance.
Then there is Davante Adams who led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 14. Adams helped fix Los Angeles’ recent red zone woes and was nearly automatic with Matthew Stafford at the goal line. However, his work between the 20-yard lines left a lot to be desired.
Adams caught just 52% of the passes thrown his direction. The veteran ranked 21st in target volume but finished 34th in yards. This especially matters when considering that Adams receives high-volume targets in the red zone and on late downs. He’s no longer the ultra-efficient receiver we know and love. That doesn’t mean he no longer has value for the Rams, but he shouldn’t be a 100-target player or every-down staple on offense.
It’s no guarantee that the Rams elect to keep Adams.
The third receiver conversation requires more nuance.
Do the Rams need a bonafide third option if they continue their heavy deployment of 13 personnel? Is there a chance LA runs fewer three tight end sets in 2026 with Tyler Higbee’s contract set to void? These are fair questions and ones the Rams should be asking themselves as they retool the roster for next season.
We also know the team re-signed Tutu Atwell to a one-year, $10M contract last offseason to be the third option behind Nacua and Adams. Atwell fell by the wayside because of the personnel deployment change.
So how will things look moving forward?
Assuming LA retains Adams (which may require a pay cut), the Rams still need a new second receiver in my view. Adams is best-utilized as a role player in the red zone and on third down. Keeping him fresh for key plays in individual games and into the postseason will help the offense in multiple ways.
So where do the Rams find that second receiver? It will not be cheap. The team needs to get away from signing older receivers in free agency after recent disappointing investments in Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Adams. Improving through the draft would require a first or second round pick in all likelihood.