The Los Angeles Rams were high on running back Darrell Henderson when they drafted him in the third round out of Memphis in 2019, although he did not get to prove why during his rookie season.
Not only was Henderson stuck behind Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown, but he also dealt with an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve towards the end of the year. Because of that, the rookie only had 39 carries for 147 yards and four receptions for 37 yards in 13 games in 2019.
With Gurley no longer on the roster though, Henderson will have the opportunity to compete for the Rams’ starting running back job during training camp this year along with Brown and 2020 second-round draft pick Cam Akers.
Despite Henderson’s lack of production and opportunities during his rookie season, Rams head coach Sean McVay is still very high on his talent going into 2020, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“With Darrell, he was a guy that when you do a lot of work on him coming out of Memphis, you love everything about his game,” McVay said on a June 11 video conference. “Complete player, a home run hitter, but you saw on some of the runs that he got last year where he’s a finisher, too. I mean, he’s an elusive back, but he’s got some power and he’s got some thickness that can allow him to really have some great contact balance and finish.”
Rams quarterback Jared Goff used the word special to describe Henderson’s talent coming out of the backfield:
“I think Darrell is a special talent,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said earlier this spring. “Special player, special talent and he can be dangerous. He’s fast, he’s athletic, he can catch extremely well.”
It is clear that the Rams still value Henderson highly, so it will be up to him to go out and prove why in his second NFL season.
He recently gave a positive update on his surgically repaired ankle, saying he will be ready to go by training camp, which is great news as he will have a lot at stake.
The Rams are also very high on Akers considering they used their first 2020 draft pick on him, so it should be an interesting battle during training camp, although both players will likely see their fair share of touches in 2020.
