Malcolm Brown out Week 8 means another chance for Darrell Henderson to step up

With Malcolm Brown already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Darrell Henderson has another opportunity to step up for the Los Angeles Rams.

For the second week in a row, the Los Angeles Rams will be without Malcolm Brown in the backfield when taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in London, meaning this will be another opportunity for Darrell Henderson to step up on offense.

To say Henderson’s rookie campaign has basically been a disappointment so far would be a huge understatement, although the argument can be made the former Memphis star just hasn’t been used as much as fans expected.

Back in April when Los Angeles decided to use a third-round pick on Henderson, the plan was to provide Sean McVay with another effective weapon to work with on offense to take some of the pressure off Brown and Todd Gurley.

After only receiving one carry in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, Henderson would end up going the next four games without a single carry, leaving plenty of fans wondering why McVay was failing to take advantage of the rookie’s skills.

Even if the argument can be made that Henderson has a few areas in need of improvement like most rookies, the best way to make this happen is to provide the young running back with the proper experience.

Over the previous two weeks, Henderson has seen an increased workload as a result of both Gurley and Brown dealing with injuries, but combining for 70 yards on 17 carries in two games isn’t exactly the most impressive statistic in the world.

Since Brown will be out for a second week in a row as previously mentioned, Henderson should be in for a solid workload during Week 8 when taking on the Bengals, especially if he receives additional carries as a result of a blowout.

All due respect to Cincinnati, but there’s a reason why the Bengals are still in search of their first win heading into Week 8, and if Sunday’s game goes as expected, the Rams should have a commanding lead by the time the fourth quarter rolls around.

Assuming this turns out to be the case, McVay will most likely try to keep Gurley off the field as much as possible to avoid any sort of unnecessary injuries taking place, which would obviously benefit Henderson in the carries department.