Cam Akers was inactive Sunday during the Rams’ 30-23 Week 2 loss to the 49ers and the former Los Angeles starting running back is on the trade block, according to Fox Sports.
The Rams have already contacted other teams in an effort to move Akers, who did not play Sunday despite being healthy, Jay Glazer reported. Akers responded to the report on X (formerly Twitter).
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters after Sunday’s loss to San Francisco that making Akers inactive was a “coaching decision.”
“I felt like it was what was best for our football team,” McVay said via NFL.com. “I felt like Kyren gave us the best opportunity and what Ronnie (Rivers) and Royce (Freeman) did, so that’s the decision I made.”
A former second-round pick, Akers helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in his second season after recovering from an Achilles injury suffered over the summer. He rushed for a career-high 786 yards and seven touchdowns last year despite a trade request during the first half of the season. Akers had just 29 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Seahawks.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cam Akers, but I felt like for our football team today and in this game and as we moved forward, this was going to be the best decision for us,” added McVay.
Second-year guard Kyren Williams replaced Akers in the Rams’ starting lineup in Week 2 against the 49ers. He totaled 52 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Williams led the Rams last week with 52 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
The Rams will likely generate interest in Akers. Here’s a look at teams that could attempt to add Akers to their backfield.
Baltimore immediately comes to mind after the Ravens recently lost running back JK Dobbins for the year to a knee injury. The Ravens have good backups in Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but both players have their own injury histories, so Akers could benefit from some added insurance if either player goes down.
Although explosive, Miami’s offense could use reinforcements at the running back position. Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins’ starting running back, rushed for 37 yards and a score on 10 carries in Miami’s season-opening win over the Chargers. However, no other Miami back had more than 11 yards, as the Dolphins finished the game with 70 yards on 20 carries.
Like Miami, Tampa doesn’t have much depth behind its starting running back, Rachaad White. White ran for 39 yards on 17 carries in Week 1, but no other Buccaneers back passed for more than 15 yards in Tampa’s season-opening win over Minnesota. Baker Mayfield actually had the second-most carries in last week’s win, which doesn’t bode well in the long run.
Chargers
On paper, the Chargers are good at running back with Austin Ekeler and backup Joshua Kelley, who had 91 yards on 16 carries in the team’s Week 1 loss to Miami. But with Ekeler dealing with an injury, adding a fullback of Akers’ caliber to the backfield wouldn’t be a bad ideal for the Chargers.
Tony Pollard is a Pro Bowl caliber back, but the Cowboys are unproven behind him. Rico Dowdle, a four-year veteran who had seven career rushers before this season, had six carries for 24 yards in cleanup duty in Sunday night’s blowout win over the Giants.
