A week before the Los Angeles Rams open training camp; the team announced sophomore running back Cam Akers tore his Achilles during a workout.
The Rams haven’t released an official timeline for his return. However, an Achilles can take a year to heal fully.
After a breakout campaign down the stretch of the 2020 season, Akers was expected to be a focal point of the Rams’ offense. Between the playoffs and the regular season, he rushed for nearly 850 yards and four touchdowns. He even missed five games last season and came back and played his best football in December.
So there is definitely no need to worry over Akers’s injury. He’s already proved he can return better from injury. It also seems the Rams aren’t going to rush Akers through recovery. The Rams won’t be beholden to a recovery window for fans. Instead, they’re going to make sure Akers can come back at 100% and not be hampered by his Achilles.
That’s all well and good in the long term…but what about the short term?
Darrell Henderson showed flashes of his star potential last season during Akers’s injury. Henderson led the team in rushing touchdowns with five. He also was the second most utilized running back in the passing game, right behind Malcolm Brown. The Rams will be looking to be more dynamic in the passing game with Matthew Stafford at quarterback.
He’ll be taking the brunt of the load from Akers, but he won’t be alone. Xavier Jones didn’t take any snaps at running back last season, but in his five seasons at SMU, he had two 1,000+ rushing seasons. Then there is Jake Funk. He doesn’t have the same credentials coming out of Maryland in the draft, but he’ll have plenty to prove this season.
The running backs will be something to watch as training camp starts next week.
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