The Los Angeles Rams roster has several difference-makers who can make a huge impact on the 2023 NFL season. From quarterback Matthews Stafford to wide receiver Cooper Kupp to defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Rams training camp is filled with stars. However, there is one player who could make or break this season for the team who you might not expect. And that player is running back Cam Akers.

Cam Akers is the surprising player on the Rams roster who could make or break the 2023 NFL season

Cam Akers has had a rollercoaster NFL career, and he’s still just 24 years old and heading into his fourth Rams training camp.

Akers was a star at Florida State, racking up 2,875 rushing yards, 485 receiving yards, and 34 total touchdowns during his three seasons in Tallahassee. Those numbers led to the Rams taking the Mississippi native in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

After that, things got dicey for Akers.

As a rookie, Akers split time relatively evenly with Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown. Still, he led the team in carries (145) and rushing yards (625). The next season, the RB1 role was Akers’ for the taking, but he tore his Achilles tendon during a workout just before Rams training camp started that season.

Despite suffering a usually year-long injury, Akers recovered miraculously quickly and made it back for Week 17. He then had 67 carries for 172 yards and eight catches for 76 yards in the LA Super Bowl run that season.

Once again, in 2022, Akers’ season and place on the Rams roster got off to a terrible start. After just three touches in Week 1, the running back requested a trade. Sean McVay and the Los Angeles front office refused to grant his wishes, though, and he stayed with the team the entire season. Akers then finished the year incredibly strong, putting up 118, 123, and 104 rushing yards in his last three games.

With that as the final push of 2022, Akers comes into 2023 once again looking like a legit RB1 on the Rams roster. Currently, the team only has second-year runner, Kyren Williams, rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans, and NFL journeyman Royce Freeman behind him.

That leaves Cam Akers the top RB on the team without a doubt. Now, the question becomes whether Akers can stay healthy and happy for the entire season.

The Rams currently boast a 35-year-old quarterback who missed half of last season, one star wide receiver (who also missed half of last season), and a suspect offensive line. McVay might be an offensive genius, but it doesn’t take one of those to realize that for Stafford and Kupp to succeed this season, they are going to need a strong running game.

Not many defending Super Bowl champions have a season as bad as the Rams’ 5-12 campaign last year. Still, some of the key pieces from that Lombardi trophy run are still there, and with the Arizona Cardinals a mess, the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks all hurt, and Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks having to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, the NFC West could be competitive in 2023.

But to win games, Stafford has to stay healthy, and the running game has to take some of the pressure off the aging quarterback. Cam Akers and company have to get the tough yards, kill the clock, and give their QB a play-action passing game to keep defenses (and pass rushers in particular) honest.

And early in Rams training camp, the reports about Akers are good. More specifically, reports are that Akers is bigger and more muscular, which is due to a suggestion from his new running backs coach, Ron Gould. He is also getting the lion's share of the work with the first-team offense, and McVay had been excited about Akers' potential role this season.

That could help Akers stay healthy and make him more of a goal-line threat. As good as the RB has been at times, he only has nine career touchdowns in 29 games.

In the end, the reason that Akers may be the biggest make-or-break player on the entire Rams roster is that if he doesn’t step up and carry the running load — both literally and figuratively — there aren’t many other options.

Williams and Evans are unproven, while Freeman has proved he’s not a No. 1 back. If Akers doesn’t have a career year during teh 2023 NFL season, the Rams offense is going to be in trouble. If he steps up and becomes a star on the level of his teammates, Stafford, Kupp, and Aaron Donald, the Rams could have a chance to surprise some people this season.