As evidenced by the situation with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams have taken a cautious approach with their injuries in training camp. Although they have managed to avoid any significant setbacks sacks so far, there is still plenty of speculation regarding the status of running back Darrell Henderson.
Henderson is still dealing with a hamstring strain that has kept him out of training camp practices as of late. With the start of the 2020 NFL season just weeks away, it remains to be seen whether or not the backfield will be at full strength for the opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Although the Rams plan on taking a patient approach with Henderson’s injury, head coach Sean McVay is optimistic about his potential availability, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry:
Sean McVay says Darrell Henderson is making progress, but he doesn't want to push the soft tissue injury. McVay not ruling Henderson out from the opener against Dallas.
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) August 31, 2020
The prospect of Henderson sitting out of the season opener would certainly leave a notable void to fill in the backfield for Los Angeles. After all, McVay and general manager Les Snead have already indicated their plans to use a committee to replace the hole left by running back Todd Gurley this offseason.
Henderson was slated to etch out an integral role for himself given his combination of youth and experience in McVay’s system. This essentially made him the best of both worlds between veteran running back Malcolm Brown and rookie running back Cam Akers.
Henderson’s absence has since opened the door to an increase in quality reps for both players to close out training camp. While Brown has made it clear that he is fully prepared for a larger role in the offense now that Gurley is gone, the emergence of Akers could still result in a timeshare to start the season.
If Henderson is unable to play in Week 1, the Rams appear to be well-equipped to still get the job done. They are certainly going to need all the help they can get against this revamped Cowboys’ defense.
