LA Rams running game rebuilding around Cam Akers

Easing in Akers

The Rams are not big on tossing a rookie into the game, just to sit back and see if he can play or not. That means that Cam Akers will likely not get 30 carries in his first game, nor in any game in the month of September. Some headlines will even ask “What’s wrong with Akers?” as many will scramble to understand why the Rams do not run him into the ground early in the season.

While Akers may not start the season with a huge workload, you can expect the team to ensure he carries the ball.  In a 16 game season, we expect Akers will rush 230 times and break 1000 yards rushing for his rookie season. For our money, we expect Akers will be 2/3rds of the Rams rushing offense in 2020 by season’s end.

Rams’ rushing legacy restored

The LA Rams’ history of elite running backs in the NFL is amazing. The list of former Rams rushers is a virtual who’s who of elite running backs in the history of the NFL.  That lineage continued through Todd Gurley, who was undoubtedly the keystone of Sean McVay’s offense.  Now, that coaching reputation is on the hook. Can McVay’s offense work for the next running back chapter of the Rams?

We think it will. Akers embodies nearly all of the attributes the Rams sought in the 2020 NFL Draft. While an argument can be made that other rushers had an incredible offensive line blocking for them, or that they faced inferior defenses, no such argument can be made to discount Akers collegiate production. He faced the toughest competition and benefited the least from a robust offensive line. While the LA Rams offensive line will likely not be one of the top-ranked units in the NFL, they need only to be consistent and open holes for Akers. He’s proven that he can do the rest.