If there’s one positive thing to take away from the Rams on offense this season, it’s that Cam Akers is the real deal. The second-round rookie showed exactly why Los Angeles was so high on him in the draft, opting to use its first pick on him despite having Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown already on the roster.
What’s especially encouraging is the way Akers progressed as the season went on. He battled through injuries and missed time during the regular season, but once he grabbed hold of the starting job, there was no sign of him letting go.
In the Rams’ finale on Saturday against the Packers, Akers went out on a high note despite the loss. He carried it 18 times for 90 yards and a touchdown, playing a career-high 96% of the offensive snaps. Sean McVay didn’t want to take him off the field, and it’s easy to see why.
“Well, I think the more you can have the ball in Cam Akers’ hands, we’re in a good position. This guy’s going to be a big-time player. He got more and more confidence as the season went. I have tremendous confidence in him, and I think [RBs coach] Thomas Brown did such a great job being able to help him continue to mature throughout the season, and I think this guy has an unbelievably bright future.”
.@thereal_cam3 takes it in himself‼️ pic.twitter.com/fiORMSxKFK
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 16, 2021
Akers really began to break out in Week 12 when he rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. The following week, he gained 94 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches, scoring one touchdown.
He then rushed for 171 yards on 29 carries against the Patriots, followed by a 63-yard performance against the Jets. He didn’t find much room to run against the Cardinals, with only 34 yards on 21 carries, but he did have 52 yards receiving on four catches.
And then he hit the ground running in the playoffs with 176 yards from scrimmage in the Rams’ win over the Seahawks.
He showed versatility, power, speed and great vision for a rookie, finishing the season the right way. And McVay couldn’t be prouder of Akers. He’s in line to become the focal point of the Rams’ offense next season, which McVay hinted at in his postgame press conference.
“When you look at it, Cam has done such a great job of really just continuing to become a big part in some instances, the focal part of the offense,” he said. “I think this guy’s got an incredibly bright future. The more that the ball is in his hands, usually good things happen, and we’ve seen that as of late. I think he really had a lot of good momentum and a lot of good performances that he can draw on to really build on this. I think it can be something for sure that we build on.”
McVay was specifically talking about the wildcat wrinkle he added to the offense when discussing what the Rams can build on into the offseason, and that seems to be something he’ll keep in the playbook for 2021. As he mentioned, that’s a way to get the ball into Akers’ hands – and maybe attempt a running back pass at some point, with Akers being a former high school quarterback.
Regardless, there’s no indication that Akers will be splitting the backfield with Henderson the way he did this season. He’ll likely take on a full-time role moving forward, with Henderson mixing in as a part-time player.
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