The Los Angeles Rams are reuniting with a familiar face by signing running back Darrell Henderson to their practice squad. They also signed veteran running back Royce Freeman to the active roster as part of a pair of transactions related to injuries to their current running back room.
Henderson comes back to the Rams after spending the first four years of his career in L.A. The 26-year-old back was waived by the Rams in November of 2022 and was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he never played a snap with the Jaguars and was waived shortly after. He has been a free agent ever since.
Freeman, now in his sixth season, has been on the Rams’ practice squad all season and has been active for three games before now being elevated to the 53-man roster for good. Freeman had spent time with the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans prior to this season.
This flurry of moves comes after the news that the top two running backs on the Rams depth chart — Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers — are slated to miss time due to various injuries. Williams suffered a sprained ankle and could be out for a few weeks, while Rivers suffered a PCL sprain and could be placed on injured reserve.
While Henderson is on the practice squad for now, it would not be surprising to see him eventually get called up to the active roster if these injuries turn out to be longer than originally assessed. Henderson knows the system well and clearly has a good rapport with everyone in the organization.
Henderson did not play a big role but was on the team for the Rams Super Bowl victory in 2022, and he has bounced between starter and backup for several years under Sean McVay.
Derion Kendrick arrested
Another big piece of news for the Rams this week came from their secondary, when it was announced that cornerback Derion Kendrick was arrested on Monday morning for illegal possession of marijuana and a firearm. TMZ Sports broke the news, and McVay responded to it by saying that he was aware of the situation and was not going to make any further commentary until he had more information.
The Rams may be thin at both running back and cornerback for the next few weeks as they figure out their depth chart in these areas. Luckily, they have stars elsewhere and have managed a 3-3 record through six games.
