LA Rams RB Darrell Henderson must prove his value, and will

LA Rams RB Henderson must prove his value to new coaches in 2020. And he will

The LA Rams drafted running back Darrell Henderson with the 70th pick from the 2019 NFL Draft. At the time, the story surrounding the selection was one of Henderson’s simply sharing the load with featured running back Todd Gurley. In that role, Henderson was likely looking at per game carries of five to ten runs, and in a change-up sort of role where head coach Sean McVay felt the perimeter of the defense showed vulnerability.  Henderson would be the running back to enter the game and put the defense out of its misery.

But that isn’t what happened. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. 5-foot-8 208-pound Henderson struggled to get onto the field. While many expected his number of carries to hover in the 100-160 range, he only got 39 carries for the entire 2019 season. He ran for 147 yards and has yet to cross the goal line with the ball in his hands.  Despite all the pre-season hype, positive messaging, and build up, Henderson simply was not much of a factor in 2019. So what are the expectations for 2020?

2020 expectations

Well, about 140 carries, for about 500 yards, and about five touchdowns. That’s not our call, that’s the projections from ESPN who see Henderson getting a significant slice of the carries in 2020. We see Henderson rushing about 100 times for just over 400 yards and four touchdowns.  Who will be correct? Well, obviously we hope for the most. But in both scenarios, projections for a non-contributor improve dramatically this season. What can trigger such an uptick?

2019 was a difficult situation for everyone.  Henderson arrived in a role that was entirely dependant upon clear expectations from Todd Gurley. Clarity was never achieved. And even at just 147 yards, Henderson was the third-ranked rusher for the team.  So it was not a Henderson issue, but an LA Rams issue. That is not to say that Henderson did not have a hand in his disappointing season. He only appeared in seven of 16 games, and only appeared three times in the same month once – in October 2019.

The fix is in

The Rams learned hard and expensive lessons in 2019. But the team will use that experience to improve the fragility of the offense in 2020. The team learned that the offensive line will need help to block in the running game. In 2019, the Rams employed two tight end formations with surprising success in both the running and passing games. And the Rams never seemed to modify the running game around the strengths of the running back in the game at the time.  That will likely change in 2020, and plays called while Henderson is in the game will more likely cater to Henderson’s strengths.

But probably the greatest change is the two most obvious ones.  Henderson has a new running back coach in Thomas Brown, who will no doubt be tasked with dramatically improving Henderson’s production and durability in 2020. Then there is the player himself.  Henderson is not a wide-eyed rookie trying to step around the eggshells in the running backs room where few truly knew just how healthy Gurley was, or how many carries were comfortable. Like many of 2019’s challenges, that is in the rearview mirror now. What lies ahead for Henderson are open running lanes.