Do or Bye, there is no try season for these 9 LA Rams veterans

Wildfire

When the LA Rams drafted rookie running back Cam Akers, the team knew that their offensive line may not be a dominating sort that opened huge holes for 747 airplanes or plowed the road like a snow plow. But that was okay because Akers had the secret sauce that enabled him to hide in the shadow of as little as one offensive lineman until the last possible moment when he could run to daylight.

Akers may still be suffering the effects of his ruptured Achilles Tendon, but he no longer seems to show it. In fact, he punctuated that fact with an exclamation point by finishing out the 2022 NFL season with three consecutive games rushing for 100+ yards, and doing so behind a patchwork offensive line.

Too many ignore the challenges that Akers had to face, and overcome, merely to get here. He seems to have recovered from an Achilles Tendon rupture that has ended the careers of NFL running backs in the past. He has been playing behind a not-so-hot NFL offensive line. And he has voiced his dissent to the LA Rams head coach Sean McVay over his positional role, and quite frankly, may have been the catalyst for the Rams to make mid-season changes at the running back position.

Cam Akers is All-In this year

But all of that has come at a cost. His goodwill with the team has been drawn down like a savings account after the first newborn arrives. Now, he has to produce. Luckily, he did so in his final three games of the 2022 NFL season. But can he continue that streak?

Whether intended or not, the LA Rams added two serious rookie threats to Akers' playing time in Ole Miss RB Zach Evans and Louisville RB Tiyon Evans. In truth, even if Akers has a 1000+ season this year, will the LA Rams even consider extending him? They traded for RB Sony Michel, who put up solid yards, only to let him walk in 2022. They outright released RB Darrell Henderson, another running back who was good for solid yards.

If this is Cam Akers last hurrah, which it appears that it will be, hopefully he goes out with a huge splash of production.