No need to panic over Darrell Henderson’s lack of rushing in preseason

Once the regular season arrives, the Los Angeles Rams should see more production out of rookie running back Darrell Henderson.

Back in April during the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams made a surprise move by selecting former Memphis star Darrell Henderson in the third round, mainly because running back wasn’t exactly a top priority at the time.

Even with some of the concerns surrounding Todd Gurley with his knee, the Rams still seemed to be in good shape for the most part thanks to other running backs such as Malcolm Brown and John Kelly ready to take on larger roles if necessary.

Clearly, Los Angeles saw something special in Henderson if they were willing to use such a high draft pick on the running back, and Sean McVay has already expressed his excitement over the rookie’s different running style to give the offense another weapon to work with.

Rightfully so, the Rams have allowed Henderson to get a little taste of preseason action to help make the transition easier to handle come September, but there has been some frustration over the running back’s lack of production in the ground game.

One week after only rushing for 13 yards on six carries against the Oakland Raiders, Henderson only finished with 16 rushing yards on six carries during Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Does this mean the Rams should feel concerns over their beloved rookie running back since this was far from what they expected to see?

Without hesitation, the answer to that question is simply no because the one factor that immediately comes to mind is how the offensive line Henderson has been working will be completely different come September during meaningful games.

Watching the Rams recently lose Micah Kiser to a left pectoral injury is the perfect example of the risk that comes with preseason in regards to players being at risk to injury.

And with expectations high once again for Los Angeles to have a top unit in the offensive line, the last thing McVay and company can afford is to lose one of their key members during a meaningless preseason game.

Once Henderson receives the opportunity to work with the proper offensive line, chances are it will be the complete opposite approach from what Rams fans have witnessed so far in preseason.

On a positive note, as disappointing as it was to see Henderson to find yardage on the ground for a second game in a row, at least the rookie running back made up for it against the Cowboys by hauling in six catches as well.