The Rams had high expectations for Cam Akers and Van Jefferson this year after drafting both of them in the second round, despite not having pressing needs at running back or wide receiver. The depth ahead of them has prevented both rookies from doing much damage in Year 1, but Sean McVay wants that to change.
McVay told members of the media Monday that the Rams want to get both Akers and Jefferson more involved in the second half of the season. One benefit of giving Akers and Jefferson more playing time is that the veterans ahead of them will be able to stay fresher, not having to play nearly every snap.
“That’s a big point of emphasis the second half of the season,” he said. “I thought they both did a nice job wanting to continue to find opportunities. The goal is we’ve got a lot of really good football players, I think the more that we can utilize all of them while keeping our core guys fresh and knowing that, ‘Hey, you still have your guys like the Robert Woods, the Coopers (Kupp), the (Tyler) Higbees. Josh Reynolds had eight catches yesterday.’ You want to get a variety of guys involved because we’ve got guys that we think are capable, they’ll stay fresher throughout the game. When you’re efficient on some of those third downs, and you’re able to stay on the field, you can get those players more involved like the plan was, but we’re going to continue to see those guys develop. I thought they did a nice job with the opportunities they had. It was something that we wanted to focus on. It will remain a point of emphasis. I was pleased with those two yesterday.”
Against the Seahawks on Sunday, Akers led the Rams with 10 carries. Jefferson only had one catch for 15 yards – he’s only had more than one reception in two games this season – but he played 19% of the offensive snaps, his most since Week 5.
Akers has had 19 total carries in his last two games, getting much more work than he had in the previous two games when he only played four snaps combined. It’s tough to take players like Darrell Henderson, Kupp and Woods off the field in order to get these rookies playing time, but McVay knows how important it is to help them develop in Year 1.
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