The expectations for the Los Angeles Rams are sky high entering this season after making the divisional round of the playoffs last year and adding Matthew Stafford in the offseason. Now, those title dreams have taken a hit.
Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Rams' top running back Cam Akers suffered a torn achilles while training, likely putting him out of the entire year before we've even reached training camp.
#Rams RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles while training, per source.
Brutal blow for L.A., which loses its leading rusher from last season a week before camp begins.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 20, 2021
While Akers got off to a slow start in his rookie season in 2020 for the Rams, he came on late in a major way. In LA's wild card round win over the Seahawks in Seattle, it was Akers who carried the load for the offense running for 131 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
In fact, in the the last six games of the season for the Rams (including two playoff games), Akers saw at least 18 carries in five of the six and saw more than 20 rushes in four of those games. Sean McVay had clearly found his running back of the feature and now, LA will have to do it without Akers this year.
It's a big blow for a Rams team that has legitimate title aspirations for 2021 after adding Matthew Stafford in the offseason. They already have two of the best defensive players in the entire league in Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald and this offseason, the offense got some much needed help and a bit of a facelift.
Now, it'll be interesting to see if the Rams address the vacancy with a free agent scoop up or trust guys like Darrell Henderson on their roster to fill the gap left by Akers.
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