Coming into 2022-23, the Los Angeles Rams were hoping that Cam Akers would take over as their starting running back in his first full season back from a torn Achilles.
Akers flashed his talent in spurts during his rookie season and then worked insanely hard to come back from the torn Achilles faster than any NFL player ever has, contributing in the final weeks of the Rams’ Super Bowl run.
This season got off to a tough start for Akers though as he barely saw the field in the opener with Sean McVay saying he wanted to see more urgency from the young running back in practice.
Akers’ workload increased in the weeks to follow, although he still did not have a ton of success. In five games, Akers has 169 total yards and a touchdown while averaging just 3.0 yards per carry.
The situation really came to a head last week when Akers missed practice for personal reasons and then was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.
It seems that Akers was upset with his lack of playing time and carries, which could lead to a divorce between him and the Rams.
McVay recently spoke on the situation, revealing that the team is looking for a trade partner for Akers ahead of the deadline, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com
“As of right now, I think the best option for all parties I think would be to explore if there’s a good situation for him with another team,” McVay told reports during a Monday news conference. “If that doesn’t come to fruition, I would never say that him coming back and figuring out the best way to be able utilize him and him being the best player he’s capable of is off the table, I would never speak in absolutes like that.”
This is an unfortunate situation as the Rams were once very high on the former second-round pick. Additionally, none of the team’s other running backs jump off the page so losing your best isn’t ideal for the team’s run game moving forward. Without Akers, the Rams are going with Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown until Kyren Williams is able to return.
It’s hard to gauge what Akers’ value is around the league considering he has hardly played. He is still just 23 years of age though so his best days are likely ahead of him.
The Rams have other needs to address on the roster such as offensive line, so maybe they can use Akers to help address that ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline. While nothing is set in stone, it looks like Akers has played his final game with the Rams.
