Darrell Henderson could see surprise opportunity in first training camp with Rams

Depending on how Todd Gurley looks, Darrell Henderson could be in for an unexpected opportunity during his first training camp with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019.

Even though running back wasn’t one of their top needs back in April during the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams clearly saw something special in Darrell Henderson if they were willing to use a third-round pick on the former Memphis star.

Since Todd Gurley has worked his way into becoming one of the top running backs in the league, and the Rams hope to continue using him for years to come, the addition of Henderson seemed more like an insurance policy.

Between the struggles towards the end of the postseason along with the lack of updates over the last few months, no one really knows what to expect from Gurley once training camp officially gets underway next week.

For obvious reasons, Los Angeles would love nothing more than to Gurley prove all of the doubters from the last few months wrong by coming out right away to show there are no reasons for concern surrounding his knee.

But if Gurley’s knee continues to bother him heading into camp like it did in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl, this could provide Henderson with an unexpected opportunity to see a heavier workload heading into preseason.

Rightfully so, the original plan for the Rams in regards to Henderson was to give Sean McVay another weapon to work with on offense to help take some of the pressure off Gurley.

And while Henderson is currently listed as the No. 3 running back behind Malcolm Brown on the depth chart, nothing is guaranteed, meaning plenty could change over the next month or so.

If Henderson does end up seeing additional action throughout training camp and preseason as a result of Gurley being limited, the rookie running back could very well set himself up for a larger role when it matters the most come September.

Keep in mind that Los Angeles never would have selected Henderson in the draft when they did if there wasn’t some sort of belief that he could develop into a reliable weapon on offense for the defending NFC champions.

Training camp will finally be getting underway next week after months of anticipation, and when it comes to players worth monitoring the most on the Rams, Henderson certainly ranks high on that list.