One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Rams going into the 2020 season was how the running back situation would play out after the departure of Todd Gurley.
Sean McVay made it clear from the beginning that it would be a committee between Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers. The Rams drafted Akers in the second round this year and are very high on him though, so many thought he would eventually take over every-down duties.
Unfortunately, Akers suffered a rib injury in just his second NFL game, forcing him to miss the next two. In the meantime, Henderson emerged as a potential starting running back, while Brown continued to be a steady, veteran presence.
Because of that, it came as no surprise that even though Akers returned to the field in Week 5 against the Washington Football Team, he took a bit of a back seat. Henderson led the team in carries with 15 for 38 yards and a touchdown, while Brown contributed eight carries for 30 yards.
It was actually Akers that led the Rams in rushing yards though in limited opportunities, going for 61 yards on nine carries thanks to an impressive 46-yard run in the fourth quarter.
McVay gave Akers some praise for that run although joked about him being run down by a defensive end, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I thought he had a couple tough runs and then he got hawked by Montez Sweat, so I’m not going to let him live that one down,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said with a smile. “That was a great run, to be able to get that going, and then you see a 4.4 d-end, that looked like a big freaking impressive guy chasing him. But he was good.”
McVay added that he expects Akers to see more touches moving forward:
McVay said “you can expect his workload to increase” against the 49ers this week.
It’s still safe to assume that Akers will likely be a big part of the Rams’ offense to finish out the season, but he is just trying to contribute whenever his number is called:
“You really can’t get frustrated with the process,” Akers said, when asked if it was frustrating to share carries and not get the same reps he did before. “I’ll take my role as what it is. Whatever this team needs me to be or do, that’s what I’ll do. Obviously I want more if more is available, but whatever they need me to do at this point in time, or at that point in time in a game, that’s what I’ll do.”
The Rams face a tough test in the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, which very well could be Akers’ coming out part in front of a national audience.
Not to take away from Henderson and Brown though, who have also been solid when called upon. The Rams may not have a Prime Todd Gurley in their backfield anymore, but they still have an elite run game, ranking sixth in the league with 698 rushing yards through the first five games.
