The Rams shared some really exciting news on Thursday when they designated Cam Akers to return from the non-football injury list. This move comes just five months after Akers tore his Achilles while training, which makes this a remarkably quick recovery.
Akers hasn’t officially been activated, so he’s not on the 53-man roster yet, but the Rams made this move with the anticipation of activating him before the 21-day window shuts. Sean McVay just isn’t sure exactly when he’ll take the field yet because the team is going to be smart with him and not rush anything.
“We really just started his 21-day clock. It’s not something that he’s going to be ready to go this week. It’s going to be a progressive build, a little bit different than some of these other guys where you put them off that, you activate them and then they’re immediately playing,” McVay said. “So, there are still some levels to this. We want to be able to check the boxes and be smart with him. So, today’s a hard gauge just because we didn’t really do anything because some of the weather and things like that. This is really like a Tuesday in our player’s mind. So, we’re really just starting that 21-day clock with him and I’ll be better equipped to answer that as we start actually really doing things that are physical practice reps, where he’s been doing things in his rehab that’s much more tolling than what we did today.”
McVay said Akers didn’t practice with the team on Thursday and he obviously won’t be activated this week in time to face the Vikings on Sunday. He should be back for the postseason, though, which is something McVay was cautiously optimistic about last month.
The coach said it was a couple months ago that the Rams realized Akers may return this season, calling him “a freak and a good one” for the way he attacked his rehab and recovered so quickly.
“I always give him a hard time about some of those Russian gymnasts that were freaking making a comeback in about five months from the Achilles and performing in the Olympics,” McVay joked.
There are still three weeks left in the regular season and although the Rams haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet, they’re on the verge of doing so, just needing a win or tie in one of their final three games.
They don’t necessarily need him in these last three games, but getting Akers back for the playoff run would be huge. He’d give the Rams “good depth” at running back alongside Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson Jr., which is a position that’s been decimated by injuries.
Even if it takes a little while, Akers is expected to be activated at some point before the playoffs.
“You want to be cautious, but I do see him being activated,” McVay added. “He’s earned the right, the way that he’s approached this rehab, things like that. Sometimes it can be semantics, but the anticipation is we’re activating him with the expectation to be able to play. Whether we end up activating him this week, and he becomes a part of that 53, whether he ends up playing and is a part of that 48, those are things that we’re working through. But, I do see him being activated for us.”
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