Tag: Darrell Henderson Jr.

Rams release RB Darrell Henderson Jr. from practice squad, add LS Alex Matheson

The Rams are releasing RB Darrell Henderson Jr. from their practice squad to make room for LS Alex Matheson.

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t pleased with how their special teams unit has performed, which has led them to make a roster move on Tuesday. To make room for long snapper Alex Matheson on their practice squad, the Rams have released Darrell Henderson Jr. from their practice squad.

Matheson held a workout with the Rams this past Friday. With starting long snapper Alex Ward on injured reserve, Carson Tinker has been starting at the position in recent weeks.

While Matheson doesn’t have NFL experience, he took snaps in the XFL for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Considering he’s joining the practice squad, the Rams were pleased enough to have him compete with Tinker for the starting job moving forward.

As for Henderson, the veteran running back has been on the team’s practice squad since Week 12. Henderson made four starts this season when Kyren Williams was on injured reserve despite not being on an NFL roster before rejoining the Rams.

The former third-round pick was inefficient in Williams’ absence, totaling 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 46 attempts. Being that the Rams have confidence in Royce Freeman and Ronnie Rivers as depth options behind Williams, they likely didn’t feel the need to have Henderson on the practice squad anymore.

Rams sign Darrell Henderson Jr. to practice squad after waiving him

The Rams waived Darrell Henderson Jr. on Tuesday to make room for Kyren Williams on the 53-man roster, but he’s back with Los Angeles again

Darrell Henderson Jr. is back … again. After waiving the fifth-year running back on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Rams signed him to the practice squad. Sean McVay said it was merely a numbers thing in terms of the reasoning for waiving Henderson, needing to make room for Kyren Williams, who’s returning from injured reserve.

Henderson has played four games for the Rams this season, rushing for 112 yards on 46 attempts with two touchdowns. He’s also caught 10 passes for 103 yards.

It’s expected that Royce Freeman will be the primary backup to Williams, but Henderson’s ability in pass protection could earn him a spot on the game day roster.

Rams waive RB Darrell Henderson Jr. with Kyren Williams set to return

With Kyren Williams set to return, the Rams have waived Darrell Henderson Jr.

The Los Angeles Rams are getting some much-needed help at running back with Kyren Williams set to return this week after spending five weeks on injured reserve. As a result, they’re moving on from the running back they signed to help fill in for Williams.

The team announced Tuesday that it has waived Darrell Henderson Jr. from the active roster, while also cutting cornerback Cameron McCutcheon from the practice squad.

Henderson was signed on Oct. 17, so his stint with the Rams lasted only a month. In four games with the Rams, Henderson rushed for 112 yards on 46 carries, an average of only 2.4 yards per attempt.

He did score two touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 103 yards, but he was mostly ineffective when carrying the ball. Royce Freeman emerged as the better option and took hold of the backfield in the last two games.

Williams will assume his role as the starter when he returns this week, likely making Freeman the backup.

Rams could be viable landing spot for RB Michael Carter following Jets release

The Jets released RB Michael Carter, who could be a good addition to the Rams’ backfield

Kyren Williams is still a week away from returning to the field as he recovers from an ankle injury suffered in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, but even when he does come back, the Los Angeles Rams could use a complementary player in the backfield.

One potential option just became available on Tuesday when the Jets waived running back Michael Carter, a third-year player and former fourth-round pick. Carter has been the Jets’ No. 3 option behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook, primarily working as a receiving back on third downs and obvious passing situations. This season, he only has eight carries for 38 yards, but he’s caught 15 passes for 68 yards as a receiver.

The Rams don’t necessarily need a new workhorse to replace Williams, but Carter wold make a lot of sense as a third-down back. Not only would he be an upgrade over Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman, but he also has experience with Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.

With LaFleur as the Jets’ play caller the last two years, Carter caught a total of 77 passes for 613 yards. He was utilized as a pass catcher out of the backfield, which is the same role he’d have in Los Angeles.

While not the biggest or fastest running back, he was a big-play weapon at North Carolina. As a senior in 2020, he rushed for 1,245 yards on only 156 carries (8.0 yards per carry) and averaged 10.7 yards per catch as a receiver. He split the backfield with Javonte Williams, but both players were highly productive.

The Rams just waived Myles Gaskin from the active roster and could stand to move on from Henderson, too. That would open the door for Carter to back up Williams in Week 12 and take some of the work off of his plate. After all, it’s unsustainable for Williams to play the number of snaps he was playing before getting injured.

The Rams are seventh in the waiver order so there aren’t many teams ahead of them if they want to put in a claim for Carter. For a running back with one year left on his contract, he’s worth trying to bring in.

Sean McVay says the Rams expect Kyren Williams back in Week 12

Sean McVay shared that the Rams are expecting Kyren Williams to be back in action in Week 12 vs. the Cardinals.

Ever since Kyren Williams was placed on injured reserve, the running game of the Los Angeles Rams has been less effective. With the Rams entering their bye week in Week 10, Sean McVay revealed that Williams is expected to make his return in Week 12 versus the Arizona Cardinals.

Williams suffered a sprained ankle in Week 6 against the Cardinals after he recorded a career-best 158 rushing yards and a score on 20 attempts in the win. Besides Williams’ production on the ground, he was productive as a pass catcher, and his reliability in pass protection was valuable.

In the three weeks that Williams has been on injured reserve, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman have split the backfield workload. Considering the Rams enter their bye week in Week 10 — and bye weeks don’t count as an accrued week on injured reserve — the earliest Williams can return is Week 12.

From Weeks 1 through 6 (when Williams was starting), the Rams were sixth in rushing EPA (0.012) and fourth in rushing success rate (45.3%). Meanwhile, the Rams have been 18th in rushing EPA (-0.171) and seventh in rushing success rate (42.9%) in the three games Williams has missed.

While the offense of the Rams has sputtered in recent weeks, Matthew Stafford could return in Week 11 and Williams is projected to be back in action in Week 12.

Rams sign QB Dresser Winn to practice squad, Darrell Henderson Jr. to active roster

The Rams added another quarterback Wednesday, bringing back Dresser Winn

With Matthew Stafford suffering a UCL sprain in his right thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, the Rams have made an addition to their quarterback room in the event that he can’t play this weekend. The team announced on Wednesday that Dresser Winn has been signed to the practice squad, and in order to make room for him there, Darrell Henderson Jr. was signed to the active roster.

Winn is now the third quarterback in Los Angeles, with Stafford and Brett Rypien on the 53-man roster. If Stafford can’t play against the Packers in Week 9 (and possibly longer), Winn will be the backup to Rypien.

The Rams originally signed Winn to their offseason roster back in May when he went undrafted out of the University of Tennessee at Martin. He spent the summer with Los Angeles but was cut when the 53-man roster was set.

Henderson spent the last two weeks on the Rams’ practice squad but is now the fourth running back on the 53-man roster, joining Royce Freeman, Zach Evans and Myles Gaskin.

4 reasons why the Vikings should claim Darrell Henderson Jr.

There is some familiarity with the talented running back and Kevin O’Connel

The Los Angeles Rams are having a disastrous season so far this year and they are turning over their personnel. On Tuesday, they waived starting running back Darrell Henderson Jr.

On the onset, it’s a very confusing move by the Rams, but they have been trying to do anything they can to change over talent in the building to try and spark a turnaround for their season.

With Henderson Jr. now on the market, he is available to be claimed at his pro-rated contract of $1.33 million. Here are four reasons why the Vikings should put in a claim for Henderson Jr.

[listicle id=69184]

LA Rams offense presents a problem for Bears defense

The Chicago Bears are going to have their work cut out for them against an LA Rams offensive line that has allowed just seven sacks.

[jwplayer cpboXlrv-ThvAeFxT]

In less than one week, the Chicago Bears will head to the bright lights of Los Angeles to face a Rams offense that isn’t getting enough attention. After calling the LA Coliseum home for a few seasons, the Rams have moved into their new stadium, SoFi Stadium, where LA is undefeated.

The Bears and Rams defenses are comparable, allowing 116 and 114 points through the first six games, respectively. So it’s likely going to come down to the two offenses, where Rams quarterback Jared Goff is having a bounceback year.

A much improved Rams’ offensive line can be attributed to Goff’s resurgence, where he’s been sacked only seven times thus far. Goff is fourth in the NFC with 1,570 passing yards, averaging 8.3 yards-per-attempt. But the Bears defense is going to have their hands full with the Rams ground game.

The two-headed monster of Darrell Henderson Jr. and Malcolm Brown have combined to rush for 565 yards and five touchdowns. The duo has also been complemented with 2020 second-round pick Cam Akers, who has 113 yards on 26 attempts. The Bears rank in the middle of the pack, having allowed 678 yards on the ground this season.

The Bears secondary will be busy as well, limiting the combination of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee, who have accumulated 925 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Of the three, Higbee is the most dangerous within the red zone, scoring two of his three touchdowns inside the 10-yard line.

An important statistic to monitor with regards to Higbee. Eddie Jackson is allowing a 73.3 completion percentage and a 107.4 quarterback rating. Both are career-worsts. He’s had two pick-sixes called back this year. Let’s see if he can finally get one to count this week.