The Los Angeles Rams announced they waived running back Darrell Henderson on Tuesday. Henderson’s release was expected as the Rams are preparing for the return of Kyren Williams, who spent the past five weeks on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain.
Henderson is sticking around, however, as he was then signed back to L.A.’s practice squad
Los Angeles’ running game took a hit when both Ronnie Rivers and Williams went down to injury, but they brought in Henderson, who went unsigned this past offseason. Henderson’s familiarity with Sean McVay’s offense and some of the members on the team made him a solid fill-in, though his numbers left much to be desired.
In four games, Henderson carried the ball 46 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns. He was more effective in the passing game as he reeled in 10 receptions for 103 yards.
The running back split snaps with Royce Freeman and the latter was the better between-the-tackles runner and eventually got the bulk of the carries. Freeman will remain the backup to Williams with Rivers still on injured reserve.
Henderson was originally a third-round pick of Los Angeles back in 2019 but his first stint with the team was met with mixed results as he dealt with various injuries.
Because of his size, Henderson was never built to be a workhorse back but showed off how explosive he could be when he had a lane. He was also a great pass-catcher, though that side of his game was never explored to its fullest.
Without Henderson, the Rams should lean mostly on Williams, Freeman and rookie Zach Evans. Williams showed he could handle a full allotment of snaps, though with him coming off an ankle sprain McVay might opt to rotate the others in in order to keep him fresh.
Los Angeles is clinging on to a slim chance of making the playoffs, so the run game will need to pick up if they hope to shock the league.
Sean McVay intrigued to see if Zach Evans get more opportunities
Evans was a late-round dart throw for the Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft and it was originally thought of as a good value pick as the first-year back was a highly-touted prospect going into college. Evans hasn’t been able to make much of an impact yet though McVay said he’s curious to see if he’ll earn more opportunities down the stretch run of the season.
