LA Rams Cam Akers scenario almost identical to that of this player

If there is anything that starts the LA Rams’ front office machinery whirring, it’s that age-old confrontation that rears its ugly head more and more frequently between NFL teams and players.

Play me or trade me!

The words rang from LA Rams veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson after a handful of games produced only a handful of opportunities. In seven games for the LA Rams, Jackson was targeted just 15 times for eight receptions, 221 yards, and one touchdown. That role was rather productive, but Jackson wanted more.

So the LA Rams allowed him to seek a trade. When that failed to generate any interest among NFL teams, the LA Rams waived him on November 3rd, 2022.

This year, the sudden removal of RB Cam Akers from the LA Rams practice field and game-day roster was a mysterious and puzzling turn of events. Initially, the team categorized the matter as a personal issue for the running back and declined to elaborate with any additional information.

More details, more similarities

But as is often the case, additional information did sneak through the radio silence, and we learned that the matter was entirely football related. Now armed with more information, the puzzle began to take shape, and we speculated as to what the true dispute/matter was all about:

"“But I think it’s more along the lines of the dispute that the Rams faced with WR DeSean Jackson last year. At that time, Jackson was unhappy with his light usage. I suspect that 51 rushing attempts in five games, averaging just 10 carries per game, is not exactly what Cam Akers expected this season. That type of ‘play me’ dispute has historically not resulted in a positive outcome for the player.” – Bret Stuter per The plot over LA Rams running back Cam Akers thickens further"

And now, that speculation appears to be lining up more and more logically with the facts as they drip into public knowledge.  Just as the Rams tried to trade Jackson in 2021, the Rams are now clearly trying to trade RB Cam Akers in 2022.

And the similarities run almost identically between the two situations.

As we had noted, Akers is presumed to be the Rams featured running back but is only averaging 10 rushes per game. Historically, that number of rushing attempts per game was reserved for Darrell Henderson Jr. when he was splitting time with teammates Malcolm Brown and Akers.

Rams not running

There is no question that the Rams are not running the football. Some believe that the Rams’ offensive line is the culprit, but when investigating the Rams’ rumors over trading for RB Christian McCaffrey, the evidence so far suggests strongly that the offensive line is opening holes. The problem is that the running back is not cutting back to daylight and that the Rams are practically ignoring the option to run with the football.

Perhaps some NFL team needs help in their backfield and may offer a token pick to land an NFL starting running back for next to nothing. But we’ve seen this happen more and more frequently. DL Michael Brockers, WR DeSean Jackson, and WR Robert Woods had all parted ways from the Rams. If there was a trade, the return on that player was the NFL equivalent of a stick of gum and a gift certificate for McDonald’s fries.

Akers may be in the trade market, but don’t look for much, if anything. When the Rams decide to part ways, they have almost no interest in negotiating much in return.

And it’s very clear now, the Rams have decided to part ways with the young running back, Cam Akers.