LA Rams injury update: Cam Akers and the Rams running game

Milestones for Akers and the LA Rams

Of course, the LA Rams are not ones to rush out and just sign up players, even when the roster might benefit from the effort. If there are actions that will give clues as to how Akers is progressing, the way to tell will likely be on the actions taken by the organization.  What do we mean?

Well the LA Rams, like all 32 NFL teams, face paring the roster to the 53-player limit on August 31st. That is approximately six weeks after Cam Akers’ injury. If the Rams have any concerns that the roster cannot handle the pressure to produce without Akers, or that his progress is not going according to schedule, that would most likely be the time for the Rams to poach a promising running back from another team’s roster. The Rams did so last year by signing Raymond Calais off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waiver wire.

The next milestone for the Rams will be the November 2, 2021, NFL Trade Deadline. By that time, the cast and crutches should be gone from Cam Akers, and he should be heavily invested in physical therapy to restore strength to his injured leg. Again, if there are any concerns over the progress or recovery, the Rams will have that one final opportunity to shore up the roster prior to making a playoff push.

Whether or not the Rams organization feels that Cam Akers could somehow pull off a miraculous return in time for the NFL Playoffs similar to that heroic return by veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth remains to be seen. But the great patience shown by the Rams right now may have a small component of optimism that he may yet return. Of course, the running backs themselves dictate the style of running plays, which in turn dictate who is best suited to block.

It appears that any decision over the direction to go in the form of a running back to help the team will have repercussions across the entire offense. For now, the Rams are content to wait for more information before making any decisions. And so, they are making us all wait as well.