Rams Prediction: Cam Akers Tabbed as Unquestioned Leader of Backfield
By Peter Dewey
It took some time in his rookie season, but Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers proved that he can be a lead back heading into his sophomore season.
After splitting time with Darrell Henderson Jr. and Malcolm Brown to open the season, Akers staked his claim on the job by the postseason and then posted 221 yards on 46 carries in his two playoff games.
The Rams selected Akers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, so it’s no surprise that they’d want him to lead the backfield, but Henderson and Brown were able to fight him for carries all season long in 2020.
This year, oddsmakers don’t expect that to be the case. For starters, Brown is now with the Miami Dolphins, and outside of Henderson, the Rams’ running back depth chart is generally unproven.
That means it is Akers job to lose, and WynnBET didn’t even give Henderson odds to lead the league in rushing this season. Akers, however, has the league’s ninth-best odds at +2000 to lead it in rushing.
As a rookie, Akers handled the ball 145 times, running for 625 yards and two scores. He will need to do more than double his rushing yards numbers if he wants to lead the NFL in 2021, but the Rams seem to have a lot of confidence in the second-year back.
“He’s obviously a great runner, but he’s got ability as a pass-catcher coming from the backfield, and we can displace him and put him in the slot or the outside receiver location,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said this offseason. “There’s not any limitations, but we’ll see how it comes to life.”
Akers seems poised to be involved heavily in the Rams’ offense, and Los Angeles is expected to have one of the league’s best units. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is among the leaders in the odds to lead the league in passing yards, and the Rams are tied for third in WynnBET’s Super Bowl odds at +1200.
Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, DeSean Jackson, rookie Tutu Atwell and second-year wideout Van Jefferson already make Los Angeles’s supporting cast one of the best in the league on paper.
If Akers takes the next step in 2021, the Rams are going to push for the NFC West crown and a top seed in the postseason.
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