For most of the 2021 season, the Los Angeles Rams relied on Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel to the lead backfield.
Henderson took the majority of snaps for the first half of the year before he missed time with a couple of different injuries. From there, head coach Sean McVay turned to Michel, who brought a more physical component to the run game as a north-south runner.
While both performed admirably in expanded roles, they eventually ceded control to Cam Akers, who miraculously made his return to the field just six months removed from Achilles surgery. Akers made his season debut in Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers but steadily saw more snaps throughout the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
It was hard to expect much from Akers after the long layoff from injury, but the running back was not satisfied with his performance, via Greg Beacham of the Associated Press:
"I wouldn't say I did well. … I did what I was supposed to do, but obviously that's not enough for me." –Rams RB Cam Akers returned very quickly from injury last season, but he wasn't satisfied with his play, and he's focused on making big strides this spring pic.twitter.com/jwtVqjdSI3
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) April 21, 2022
Akers’ best outing came in the Wild Card Round against the Arizona Cardinals where he rushed 17 times for 55 yards. However, from there his numbers declined across the board and he had a forgettable outing in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals where he managed just 21 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
It is hard to glean too much from Akers brief run considering it usually takes players a full year to resemble themselves after such a serious injury. Knowing the young back, he will do everything he can to get back to form and if he does he is primed to have a breakout year in the Rams’ explosive offense.
