LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford dropped back against the New Orleans Saints’ starting defense and again went looking for No. 17. With how this practice was going, he just knew Davante Adams would find a way to get open.And Adams did, cutting sharp on a deep post route to a spot around the left hashmarks where he settled in and waited for a laser, like he’s come to expect in this growing relationship with the reigning MVP. Stafford split two defenders with the throw — a cornerback giving chase, a deep safety crashing down — and Adams leaped off his feet and snared the ball before landing and sprinting into the end zone.Stafford and Adams excelled against the Saints defense in a joint practice on Thursday at the Rams’ facility in Woodland Hills, Calif. They connected for two touchdowns, including a trademark Stafford fade ball that Adams ran comfortably underneath along the right sideline for an easy score. They connected on crossers into the flats and slants across the middle.With Puka Nacua not practicing due to a psoas injury he continues to manage, no one was left wondering who the go-to receiver on the Rams would be. Adams and Stafford have shown off a smooth and adjustable connection all training camp, and though Adams has had a few drops in earlier practices, the precision has shown two vital pieces to the Rams’ offensive attack this season: Stafford and Adams still have it, even at the ages of 38 and 33, respectively.And now, they have chemistry outside of the red zone.“No matter how great you are, you’ve got two great players. You’ve got to be able to get those reps, and repetition is the mother of learning,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “They’ve got a great feel. I think today was a really good day for those guys being able to connect against tight, sticky coverage. It’s been awesome, but they’re two outstanding people, outstanding players, and it’s really fun to watch them take some ownership and even just be a fly on the wall and listen to their dialogue and what they’re thinking. I love what I’ve seen from those guys.”A year ago, none of this was possible. Adams was the new piece after signing a free-agent deal to replace Cooper Kupp, and Stafford wasn’t practicing at all with a back issue that was threatening the start of his 17th season. Their reps in training camp were nearly nonexistent, and the two didn’t play in the preseason, leaving real games with results on the line as the time to build the timing, feel and connection that live reps are designed to create.That led to a naturally clunky start to Adams’ 12th season. Through his first six games, he was averaging just 4.3 receptions per game on a career-worst 47.3 percent catch rate. Nacua was prolific enough to make up for it, but the two knew they needed to build something more to help the offense reach its full potential.They drilled down in a week in Baltimore with Nacua hurt and rolled out a new role for Adams against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, where he played as the single wide receiver with three tight ends on the field and scored three touchdowns. Then he scored eight more times to finish with a league-best 14 receiving touchdowns as the Rams led the NFL in scoring and Stafford was named league MVP.But Adams’ season felt a bit inconsistent and less whole than normal, as he finished with 60 catches for 789 yards, his lowest totals in any season since 2015. With Adams turning 34 in December and in a contract year, the Rams explored the idea this offseason of trading him for a younger receiver in A.J. Brown. But they decided against it once McVay dove into Adams’ film and saw more to tap into, hoping his connection with Stafford would continue to grow with training camp reps.It might require Adams to say healthier than he did last year, when he missed three games and battled lower-body injuries all season long. That’s the challenge for a 33-year-old in a speed-based role in a collision sport. But Thursday’s practice was a glimpse of what still remains in the tank.Terrance Ferguson, CJ Daniels get their runWith Nacua out, the door opened for younger receivers to see targets and to make their cases to be reliable weapons in an offense that needs one to emerge beyond Nacua and Adams.The busiest of them was Ferguson. He scored two touchdowns in the red zone, including one where he caught the ball in the flats on the left side and outran the defense.He executed mostly short routes, a departure from the late-season breakout he enjoyed as a rookie to finish with an average of 21 yards per catch on 11 receptions. The Rams are expanding Ferguson’s route tree now that he’s more comfortable in a playbook that’s committing to the three-tight end approach the Rams largely devised at midseason last year, and he’s spent this offseason trimming body fat to increase that wiggle out of breaks.By getting the ball to Ferguson more quickly, the Rams can exploit a mismatch with his 6-foot-5, 252-pound frame against linebackers rather than safeties, hoping those safeties are busy enough watching for Stafford’s deep connections with Adams and Nacua on opposite perimeters.“Coming in (last year), I never expected to play the positions I’m playing,” Ferguson said. “Being able to play F, Z, Y and X, all of them together, it’s definitely been a big jump. … They ask me to do a lot of things down the field but then also be reliable on the line of scrimmage. It’s about finding that happy medium.”Daniels also saw some chances with the first team as he rotated reps with Konata Mumpfield and Jordan Whittington. He didn’t have as active a day catching the ball, but it was a step up from the second-team usage he’s primarily seen this camp.Will Ty Simpson win Los Angeles Rams backup QB job?Robert MaysStetson Bennett, Ty Simpson trade QB2 repsAs the Rams continue to try to solidify the backup quarterback role that Jimmy Garoppolo no longer holds, they have once more leaned into giving even chances to Simpson and Bennett. They ran 25 plays with the second team, with Bennett taking 13 snaps and Simpson 12. It continues a recent shift from earlier in camp, when Bennett worked almost exclusively as the next quarterback up after Stafford.Both had mixed days. Bennett struggled again with his deep ball but kept it out of harm’s way. Simpson threw two interceptions, including one where he didn’t see a safety playing center field and the ball fluttered out of his hands. Simpson and Bennett both threw touchdowns in the red zone period.Bennett enjoyed a strong start to camp, with high completion rates and strong plays out of structure but also with the occasional turnover. He hasn’t looked as comfortable over the past week, which could be related in part to the lack of a flow he gets into when splitting reps with Simpson, who has come a long way in his command of a complex playbook.One of the challenges both quarterbacks face is the protection they’re trying to play behind with the second unit. The Rams are down two of their backup offensive linemen, as top backup guard Justin Dedich worked out off to the side again with the hand injury he’s had since early July and third-round rookie tackle Keagen Trost out with the hamstring he hurt in Saturday’s preseason opener.McVay said the hope is to get Trost back for the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. If he can’t, David Quessenberry will serve as the swing tackle. He’s been working primarily as the backup left tackle to Alaric Jackson, who could face a second suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy. Quessenberry last started a game in 2023 and will turn 36 on Monday.The Rams have begun rotating offensive linemen with the first team in order to get more advanced looks at the second team. But McVay continues to express confidence in the plan and operation.“I really felt good with the depth we had at tackle,” McVay said. “Obviously, you get a little bit thinned out when you felt good about those four guys, if you include Keagen into it. But we’ve got some other guys that we’re going to continue to evaluate. … We’ll just take it a day at a time.”