5 Rams we can safely call busts after the 2023 season

The LA Rams had a great draft in 2023. So great that the team that was spiraling out of control managed not only to find multiple starters, but a rookie class that is so gifted that you could make a compelling argument for as many as five players to be viewed as future All-Pro players. One player, rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, has already earned that career-defining honor.

But whether it be an overestimation of a young player's ability to transition to the NFL, a hiccup in coaching that derailed a player's progress to become NFL caliber, a bad fit of the wrong player in the wrong system, or simply the random misfortune of injuries that veered a player's career trajectory off course, the Rams have not had a 100 percent success rate.

No NFL team has success with every player drafted to the team.

There is a reason the average career of NFL players do not last 10+ years. Whether it is the physical nature of a game that exacts a heavy toll on professional athletes, or the speed at which the game changes fundamental strategies, the usefulness of players on team rosters is not assured even for the most accomplished stars in the game.

And it's a game whose very nature is one of every accelerating changes. New techiniues and strategies of one team quickly spread throughout the entire league by simulating what they see in video analysis, or simply cutting coaches and players from one team, and grafting them into the next team. After all, one of the most recognizable nicknames for the NFL is Not For Long.

And so, we have come to the point where we have to throw in the towel, and proclaim these five players who gave it there all 'busts'. It was not for a lack of effort, nor from a lack or trying. But these five Rams or former Rams players found the going tough at earning playing time for the team. And four of the players were cut or traded in 2023 with little to no return. Let's take a look:

5 Rams we can safely call busts after the 2023 season

1. V: TE Brycen Hopkins
2. IV: RB Darrell Henderson Jr.
3. III: DB Robert Rochell
4. II: WR Van Jefferson
5. I: RB Cam Akers

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V: TE Brycen Hopkins

The team has tried to make a go of it with tight end Brycen Hopkins, but for one reason or another, this was simply not a good fit for either side. Hopkins is a circus-catch type of receiver in the tight end position. The team sought a great block who could move the chains with routine catches. Even from a first glance, it was clear that the two ends of the cable would not meet.

Hopkins was the padawan for TE Gerald Everett, the counterpart to a rather unique but effective tandem of tight ends that alternated playing time with Tyler Higbee. When Everett left via free agency, Hopkins never seemed to rise to the occasion. Instead, the Rams offense worked with wide receivers to amplify their ability to block, perhaps the greatest vulnerability to Hopkins earning greater playing time in this offense.

In four seasons, Hopkins caught 13 of 19 passes thrown his way for 196 yards. That is hardly the type of production that screams extension. He did manage to catch all four passes thrown his way in Super Bowl LVI, gaining 47 yards and moving the chains three times.

After four years on the team, he has seen just 330 snaps on offense, and just155 snaps on special teams. At 6-foot-4 and weighing 245 pounds, he has enough experience to warrant signing on with a new team in free agency and competing for playing time in a new offense. But if he does not catch on elsewhere, and earn enough playing to improve his reputation, TE Brycen Hopkins playing days may be numbered.

IV: RB Darrell Henderson Jr.

I don't believe that running back Darrell Henderson Jr. deserved his fate at being cut from the team in the middle of the 2022 NFL season. After all, the Rams drafted the speedy and talented Henderson in 2019 to add a change-of-pace dimension to the running back room. Through no fault of his own, the team's needs changed to feature back in 2020, and Henderson struggled to be the bell cow in an offense that depended heavily on play action.

If the had an ability to show enough restraint to limit Henderson to no more than 10 to 12 carries per game, he might still be competing for the team to this day. But the release of RB Todd Gurley, the injury to RB Cam Akers, and the late addition of veteran RB Sony Mitchell combined to create the scenario in which the Rams asked Henderson to be their feature back. That question should never have been posed to the ever-willing player.

It was encouraging to see the team bring back Henderson in 2023 when both RBs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers were both injured. But it also demonstrated that the Rams have a preference for smaller backs. Henderson simply fit the profile that the team wanted in the running back room. As soon as Williams was healthy enough to compete once more, the team cut Henderson for the second time in two seasons.

I was surprised that no team signed Henderson in 2022 after his release by the Rams. He averages more than 4.0 yards per carry, and he has 1,854 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 108 first downs for the Rams. He has also caught 76 of 106 passes (71.7 percent catch rate) for an additional 577 yards, four touchdowns, and 25 first downs. Henderson is simply the type of player whose optimal performance requires a bit of workload management. Unfortunately, it seems no NFL team can be bothered to do so.

III: DB Robert Rochell

When the LA Rams added defensive back Robert Rochell in the 2021 NFL Draft, the hope was that the tremendously athletic defensive back would be able to learn quickly from All-Pro Jalen Ramsey and be a dominating member in the secondary. But Rochell was unable to practice after injuring his wrist during a freak accident at training camp, After returning from injury, his glowing reports from training camp seemed to come few and far between

Rochell was the big defensive back bookend who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed in at 195 pounds. He was athletically strong but football-weak prospect who was viewed as a project to develop over time. In hi rookie season, he was given the chance to play, starting five games and seeing action on 234 defensive snaps. But in 2022, the Rams favored zone defense, and Rochell's physical presence was not longer suited for that style of secondary.

Rochell is still quite young, only 25 years old. And he was signed by the Green Bay Packers. But his role in 2023 was exclusively on their special teams. I'm not sure if he will have an opportunity to play in their secondary, but it is obvious that the Rams coaching staff felt that he had hit his NFL plateau.

Perhaps he can resuscitate his NFL career in the Packers' secondary. He certainly was projected to become a formidable force in pass defense in the NFL. But each year becomes a bit harder to be noticed by the coaching staff. It is difficult to make a good first impression. But once an impression is made, it it twice as difficult to change it. Change is truly the only hope that Robert Rochell has of a long and prosperous NFL career.

II: WR Van Jefferson

For the first two years of his NFL career, wide receiver Van Jefferson had all the indications of a future 1000+ yard receiver in the Rams offense. He seemed to possess the size, the route running, and the speed necessary to flourish in the Rams pass-friendly offense. When he put up 802 yard and six touchdowns in his second season with the team on 50 of 89 catches, I was hopeful enough to believe that he would burst the 1000 receiving yard plateau in his third season.

Jefferson is the son of Shawn Jefferson, the current wide receiver coach of the Carolina Panthers. It's same to assume from that legacy that Van Jefferson knows how to play the wide receiver position. The trick to earning playing time at the position is learning how to catch the football, a task that Jefferson struggled with in the offense. In nearly four seasons, he caught just 101 of 179 passes thrown his way for 1,499 yards and 10 touchdowns. But his catch rate actually declined each year of his professional career, to the point where passes thrown his way were merely a flip of the coin's probability.

A receiver who cannot catch the football is not going to generate much interest. Jefferson will test his value in the 2024 NFL Free Agency market, and his projected salary comes in at a modest $2.3 million per year. But even that modest number may be too high. With a 2024 NFL Draft loaded with receiver talent, teams may be far less willing to add a veteran who struggles.

Of course, training camp rosters swell to 90 players, and with 32 teams, one or two teams may offer a veteran-minimum contract to see if they can improve his performance in a new offense. Right now, the shining star over Van Jefferson's career is fading away. He will need to sign with some team and put up an incredible display this summer to keep hopes for a prolonged NFL career alive.

I: RB Cam Akers

The truth of the matter is that if running back Cam Akers had been less confrontational, he may still be with the team. But the same fire that burned in him that propelled him to gain as many yards as he could on each play continued to burn in him on the practice field, in the locker room, and on several occasions when he met with head coach Sean McVay to argue, lobby, and dispute his role and how the team used him on offense.

Yes, Cam Akers fought tooth and nail for every yard, even if that meant fighting Coach McVay for carries to get those yards. It was his fiery and confrontational nature that eventually wore out his welcome. He was benched in 2022 over a dispute, as the front office attempted to negotiate a trade that would place him on a team better equipped to handle his outbursts. When no team suited, Akers and McVay reconciled, if only temporarily.

The fact that Cam Akers piled up successive 100+ yards rushing to close out the 2022 NFL season was certainly a clue that perhaps the player and the team had found a new equilibrium. But when the 2023 season opened, so did Akers's mouth, and it happened to be pointed at HC Sean McVay once more. This time, the Rams did negotiate a trade that was so lopsided in the Minnesota Vikings' favor that the Rams would get nothing in return.

A condition of the trade stipulated that Akers needed to gain 500 or more yards for the Vikings or a conditional pick swap would be voided. Akers suffered another Achilles Tendon injury, benching him before he could produce enough yards to trigger the pick swap. Now Cam Akers is a restricted free agent with the Vikings, and still faces a long rehab to even be ready to play football again. He won't be playing for the Rams. And while I get no pleasure in it, he is unlikely to play in the NFL again.