All the promise and frustration of Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams was on display Sunday night at the team’s annual “Family Night” practice.
A second-round pick who flashed as a rookie but fell flat on his face during his second season in 2015, Adams continues to be a vexing medly as his third NFL training camp kicks into gear.
First, the good.
Early in the team practice, Adams beat the coverage on a deep corner route and hauled in Aaron Rodgers’ throw for 25 yards. Later, he smoked promising young cornerback LaDarius Gunter on a go route for at least 35 more yards and then completed an impressive catch in traffic near the back of the end zone.
But the bad was coming, and it served up a fresh reminder of his disaster of a season from 2015.
On a deep throw near the goal line, Adams saw cornerback Robertson Daniel dislodge his catch before he could secure it and get to the ground. He had two bigger misses later in the practice; the first when he mistimed his jump near the sideline and dropped Rodgers’ throw in-between coverage, and the second when his outstretched attempt to make a diving catch in the end zone ended in nothing more than an incompletion. Neither was a perfect throw, but Adams got two hands on both passes.
Testing my resolve, Davante https://t.co/6irnUNh1dc
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) August 1, 2016
The Packers still have no idea which Adams they’ll get for 2016.
There’s the rookie version, which saw Adams smoke the New England Patriots for six catches and 121 yards in a regular season win and torture the Dallas Cowboys for 117 yards and a score in the NFC Divisional Round.
But there’s also last year’s model, a receiver that—based on the stats—ranked among the worst players in the entire league for 2015. On 93 targets, Adams produced only 483 yards and one touchdown—especially troubling numbers for a young receiver given a big opportunity to play a prominent role in a Rodgers offense.
Excuses mean nothing in the NFL, but Adams was hobbled for most of the 2015 season by a nagging ankle injury suffered during the second week. Without two strong legs under him, Adams never got going in his quest to help replace Jordy Nelson (ACL surgery), and once the confidence evaporated, a slide of disappointments couldn’t be halted.
Adams is healthy now. And Nelson will return for 2016, lessening the pressure on the third-year receiver.
However, Sunday night was a good reminder that Adams is still a mystery waiting to be solved.
With two good ankles, a comfortable role as the third receiver behind Nelson and Randall Cobb and Rodgers at quarterback, Adams is one of the best situations in football to rebound from a terrible season. While he showed flashes early during the Family Night scrimmage, his misses late harken too many memories from 2015.
Will the real Davante Adams, please stand up?