NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay appeared in his first Training Camp presser of the week, and addressed what could be the next moves at the running back position for the team in absence of Cam Akers.
Akers suffered an Achilles injury that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season leaving a potential question mark at running back for the Rams. McVay has a lot of confidence in Darrell Henderson who was one yard shy of leading the team in rushing last season behind Akers. Henderson started 11 games with 138 carries for 624 yards and five touchdowns last season.
“He’s the most established guy in that room,” McVay said of Henderson. “You can see when he gets the ball in his hand and puts his foot in the ground, there’s a burst and he’s sturdy too.
“I think he is a complete back, very similar to how you’ve heard me talk about Cam. Our biggest challenge is not figuring out if he’s capable of doing it, it’s finding that sweet spot of, all right, how do we maximize Darrell Henderson while also getting some of these other guys involved?”
McVay seems to be convinced that Henderson is there guy, while allowing the young running backs to get some opportunities as well.
“Unfortunately for Cam (Akers), we’re going to miss him a lot and he’s meant a whole lot to this football team over the last year, and I think he will for years to come,” Mcvay said. “Darrell Henderson has played really good football. We’ve got an opportunity leading up until that September 12th date against the Bears to really say, ‘Okay, what can (Raymond) Calais do? What can Jake Funk do? What can Xavier Jones do?’ How do these guys really illustrate their skillsets on the practice field?”
Both Jones and Funk could prove to be a hidden gem this summer in training camp in the backfield. If the Rams remain in tact and not go after a veteran running back, Henderson will be the most import back and it will be imperative that he not only gets yardage, but remains healthy on the field throughout the season.
McVay is not concerned about bring someone else in right now, as the days progress that decision could change for the better of the team.
“To say that you would never do it, you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself into that, but we are going to use camp as an opportunity to let Thomas Brown pour into these guys and see how they compete and how they handle probably a little bit of a heavier workload than they anticipated,” Mcvay explained.
It is safe to say there will be no Todd Gurley and Rams reunion, and it’s also safe to say that Henderson will not participate in any pre-season games either.
The Rams officially open Training Camp on Wednesday afternoon at UC Irvine.
