Tag: Darrell Henderson

Why Rams should pass on even the top RBs in Round 2

The Rams shouldn’t take a running back with one of their second-round picks, and here’s why.

This time last year, there were rumors swirling about the Los Angeles Rams taking a running back early in the draft. Those whispers turned out to be true, as the team traded up to select Darrell Henderson Jr. out of Memphis in the third round.

Why on earth would the Rams take a running back that early with Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown already on the roster? That was a question many folks asked, and I was among those who questioned the Rams’ decision to take Henderson at that point.

Yet, here we are again with Los Angeles seemingly poised to use a Day 2 pick on a running back. This year, it’d be more reasonable for the Rams to use one of their four second- and third-round picks on a running back, since Gurley is gone and Henderson isn’t a proven starter.

You could argue that if someone such as J.K. Dobbins, D’Andre Swift or Jonathan Taylor is there at No. 52, the Rams should take him. After all, running back is a secondary need for L.A. They should not bite on one of those players, though.

In fact, they shouldn’t take any running backs in the second round.

Henderson may not be a proven player yet, but the Rams drafted him to be an Alvin Kamara-type player, as Les Snead put it last year. He spent his rookie season as Gurley’s backup, but now he’s ready to be unleashed as a starter.

It’s hard to doubt his ability after he got just 39 carries in 13 games. That’s a tiny sample size in the grand scheme of things, and not enough proof that he can’t be a workhorse.

When you compare him to the incoming class of running backs, you’d have trouble making a strong case that any of them are noticeably better than Henderson. None of them averaged 8.2 yards per carry in their college careers like Henderson. None of them fit an outside zone scheme as well as Henderson does.

And last season with the Rams, Henderson led all NFL players (with at least 35 carries) with an average of 5.6 rush attempts per broken tackle. For comparison, Gurley averaged 10.6 attempts per broken tackle in 2019 (13th in the NFL).

Taylor’s 4.39 40-yard dash time was impressive, and better than Henderson’s 4.49, but Swift barely edged out Henderson at 4.48. From an athleticism and speed standpoint, Dobbins and Swift don’t offer much more than Henderson does.

Taylor would bring an element of size and power to the backfield that the Rams might lack, but that doesn’t make him worth taking at No. 52 overall. The Rams can find that in free agency with someone such as Isaiah Crowell or Carlos Hyde.

Which brings me to my next point: running back isn’t a premier position and can be filled with cheap talent. Remember when the Rams signed C.J. Anderson off the street in 2018 and he went on to carry the offense into the playoffs? I’m not saying the Rams can do that again with a current free agent, but that signing proved running backs don’t matter much.

Devonta Freeman, Hyde, C.J. Prosise and Chris Thompson are all still available and offer a variety of skill sets. Freeman is a slasher, Hyde can do just about everything, and Thompson and Prosise are good receiving backs.

A backfield consisting of Henderson, Brown and one of those four free agents is more than capable of working in L.A.

If the Rams would prefer not to leave the draft without a running back, there are good players who can be had later on. Zack Moss and Darrynton Evans could be options in the third or fourth rounds. Joshua Kelley in the sixth is also an option. The Rams don’t need to take a running back in the second.

There’s always an element of taking the best player available in the conversation, but drafting a running back would be more of a luxury pick at a position that doesn’t need to be addressed this early.

Jared Goff says Darrell Henderson ‘can be dangerous’ in Rams offense

Jared Goff has high hopes for Darrell Henderson, saying he thinks he can be a “top guy” at some point.

Replacing Todd Gurley, a two-time All-Pro and the 2018 Offensive Player of the Year, won’t be easy for the Los Angeles Rams, but they do have a running back on the roster who’s been described by multiple teammates as being “special.” Darrell Henderson Jr. has received some high praise this offseason, first from Andrew Whitworth and most recently by Jared Goff.

Whitworth called him a “special talent” recently when asked about Henderson’s potential, and on a video conference call with reporters Wednesday, Goff echoed that sentiment. He’s excited about Henderson’s potential in the Rams’ offense, saying he can be dangerous.

“I think Darrell is a special talent. He’s a special player, a special talent and he can be dangerous,” Goff said. “I think he’s fast, he’s athletic, he can catch extremely well. He’s got the ability, as time goes on, a top guy. We’re going to have to wait and see but he’s got everything you want. He’s smart, he’s fast, he’s agile. He can do everything.”

Goff is used to playing with a running back who can do everything, having spent the last four years with Gurley lined up behind him. Gurley was arguably the best running back in the NFL at his peak, as evidenced by him being selected as a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2018.

He was elusive in the open field, a reliable receiver and had a nose for the end zone while with the Rams, and Goff had a front-row seat for it all. It’s hard to expect Henderson to go from being a backup as a rookie to a star in Year 2, but Goff seems to have high hopes for the Memphis product – as do a lot of people in Los Angeles.

Last season, Henderson rushed for 147 yards on 39 carries and caught four passes for another 37 yards in 13 games played.

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Rams plan to use Darrell Henderson in backfield committee

The Rams like Darrell Henderson’s potential but are also open to adding a running back in the draft.

For the last five years, Todd Gurley handled the bulk of the work at running back for the Rams. He carried the ball at least 223 times each season since 2015, and in the last four years, he never played fewer than 71% of the offensive snaps.

He’s been the definition of a workhorse in Los Angeles, leading all NFL players with 1,483 touches since 2015. But now with Gurley out of the picture, the Rams will move forward with a different plan at running back.

It involves the four dreaded words for a fantasy football owner: “running back by committee.”

The Rams no longer want to feature one player in the backfield and instead plan to use a committee approach in 2020, led by Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown.

General manager Les Snead said Henderson is “probably a player with a bullseye on his back based on us releasing Todd,” but he’s not going to take over as the bell cow for Los Angeles.

“What we do want to be, and this will progress naturally, is certainly be a team that utilizes more than just one workhorse running the ball, have a different genre of skill sets and a complementary-type running game,” Snead said on a conference call Monday. “With that being said, you could get in Week 4 and there’s only one singular running back on the team who is playing extremely hot and maybe that person starts getting more carries. We have this big-picture vision of Darrell being a part of it, but we do expect other pieces to be a part of it, as well.”

For fantasy owners banking on Henderson becoming a top running back in 2020, this is bad news. His potential is obvious and the Rams clearly love his skill set – enough to trade up and draft him in the third round last year – but unless he comes out and dominates from the start, he’ll likely be sharing touches with Malcolm Brown.

Furthermore, the Rams could add another running back to the mix in the draft. They’ve been doing their homework on the incoming class of runners, meeting with Zack Moss, Darrynton Evans and Johnathan Kelley at the combine.

Sean McVay likes the versatility of the running backs in the draft and indicated that the Rams could select one at some point if the opportunity arises.

“As we move forward, there’s a lot of depth in this draft,” McVay said on the Rams Revealed podcast. “There are a lot of different types of players, they’re all really good football players that provide different skill sets and I would say that if we feel like the value and the type of player that we’re looking to add is there when we pick, that’s certainly a conversation that’ll come up.”

Running back isn’t a pressing need for the Rams, since they did just select Henderson and have Brown also under contract, but it’s clear they’re looking to add depth to the roster at that spot.

Any further additions will hurt Henderson’s value, but if he stands above the rest in training camp and the preseason, the Rams will have no choice but to give him the bulk of the carries.

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Andrew Whitworth excited about Darrell Henderson: ‘He’s a special athlete’

Andrew Whitworth spoke highly of Darrell Henderson, who will likely replace Todd Gurley.

After cutting Todd Gurley, the Los Angeles Rams will have a new starting running back in 2020. The draft is always an avenue for finding talented backs at cheap prices, and the free-agent market still features names such as Devonta Freeman and Carlos Hyde.

The most likely replacement for Gurley is already on the roster, though. The Rams spent a third-round pick on Darrell Henderson last year, even trading up for the Memphis product. His opportunities were limited as a rookie in 2019, carrying it just 39 times for 147 yards, but his role will grow exponentially next season.

Andrew Whitworth is excited about Henderson’s potential in the Rams’ offense, calling him a “special athlete.”

“He’s quick. When he puts his foot in the ground and goes, you can see it. A couple games there throughout the season, he got some opportunities and when he touched the football, he looked like lightning in a bottle,” Whitworth said. “It’s one of those things where as a young player, he’s going to learn things over his career and right now, it’s taking care of his body and how he can be in the best shape possible and how he can get through a season. that’s always a tough season for running backs, of course. So the more availability he has for us, I think we look forward to it because he’s a special athlete and somebody who can really help us.”

Because Henderson already has a year in the Rams’ system and showed a level of explosiveness that even exceeded Gurley’s last season, he has the clearest path to a starting job than any other running backs available right now. Los Angeles drafted him with the intention of using him as a change-of-pace back – Les Snead even thought he’d give the Rams a “Kamara element” – but he was always viewed as a potential replacement for Gurley if Todd’s knee couldn’t hold up.

Henderson still has work to do before he becomes a top running back in the NFL, but his speed, power and vision make him an impactful player for the Rams next season.

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No team got less out of its RBs in the passing game than the Rams

The Rams’ running backs ranked last in the NFL as receivers in just about every category.

Everything the Los Angeles Rams have done the last two years has indicated a commitment to utilizing their strong crop of running backs.

They made Todd Gurley the highest-paid back in the NFL before the 2018 season, giving him a four-year deal with $45 million in guarantees. They made the obvious decision to match the Lions’ offer sheet for Malcolm Brown last offseason, keeping him around with a two-year deal. Last April, they traded up to select Darrell Henderson Jr. in the third round, seemingly adding a dynamic playmaker to an already crowded backfield.

Then, when push came to shove, the Rams failed to properly incorporate the position into the offense. They ranked 18th in rushing attempts last season after finishing eighth in 2018 and ninth in 2017. Gurley touched the ball 254 times in 15 games, 61 fewer times than he did in 2018 and 89 fewer times than in 2017.

What’s even more alarming than his lack of rush attempts was his disappearance from the passing game. Gurley was targeted 49 times and caught 31 passes for a measly 207 yards. His 6.7 yards per reception were the lowest of Gurley’s career and were the seventh-worst in the NFL this season.

Brown caught two passes for 16 yards and Henderson hauled in four receptions for 37 yards. That’s 37 total receptions for 260 yards from Rams running backs this season. Both of those numbers were the fewest in the NFL among all 32 teams. The next-closest team was the Ravens, whose running backs caught 41 passes for 362 yards – probably because they were busy helping lead the league’s top rushing attack.

By just about every measure, the Rams’ running backs were the worst in the NFL as receivers, both because of a lack of execution and opportunities. They were last in third-down receptions (3 of 10 targets), catch rate (59.7%), yards per target (4.2), catches for first downs (9) and red zone targets (4) – all according to Inside Edge.

Gurley, Brown and Henderson did very little to force missed tackles after the catch, either. They averaged only 6.6 yards after the catch per reception this season, which was fourth-worst in the league. The No. 1 team, for comparison, was the Vikings, whose running backs averaged 10.8 yards after the catch per reception.

It’s hard to imagine the Rams couldn’t have gotten more out of their running backs as receivers this year – especially with Jared Goff being under pressure as often as he was. Most of the passes that went to the running backs were check-downs and dump-offs when nothing else was there.

McVay called very few designed screens for Gurley, which was a staple of the offense the previous two years. They almost never split Henderson out wide and had him run routes, which could’ve been a good way to get him more involved.

The Rams looked like they were committing to a three-headed monster at running back in the last 18 months, but all they got in 2019 was a disappointing showing and a lack of involvement in the passing game – an aspect of the position that’s never been more important than it is in today’s pass-happy NFL.

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Jalen Ramsey has LCL injury, Darrell Henderson needs ankle surgery

Sean McVay provided a few updates on injured Rams coming out of Saturday’s loss.

A few Rams suffered injuries in Saturday’s loss to the 49ers, including two starters. Jalen Ramsey suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, but he played through it and didn’t miss a snap despite being listed as doubtful to return. Bobby Evans left briefly with a hip injury, while Darrell Henderson only played two snaps before hurting his ankle.

On Sunday, coach Sean McVay provided updates on those three players and the severity of their injuries.

Jalen got a knee banged up. We’re continuing to evaluate and see how – he ended up continuing to play through it, but we’re going to look at just seeing how he feels as the week progresses,” McVay said. “It’s his LCL. Just figuring out the specifics of, ‘What type of grade strain is it?’ Then I’ll be able to have some further updates for you as he’s talking with the doctors, I get a chance to talk to those guys and then we’ll have some further information for you guys later this week.”

Ramsey will get an MRI done on his knee and the Rams “want to be as smart as possible” with the injury. In other words, they’re likely to keep him out of Sunday’s season finale, which has no playoff implications after the Rams were eliminated from contention.

Henderson is going to have surgery on his ankle, which will likely land him on IR for the final week of the season.

“He ended up tweaking it on his first carry and then felt it on his second carry. He’s going to need to get that thing cleaned up, so we’re probably going to put him on IR,” McVay said.

The coach added that it’s a high ankle sprain and is unstable, “so he’ll need to get surgery.” McVay doesn’t expect him to be out very long, however.

“The specifics of that – it’s not something that’s too evasive,” he added. “It is something that will require to go in there and get it cleaned up. When he gets back – I don’t think it’ll be anything too long that will force him to miss a bunch of time.”

Evans is considered “day-to-day” after suffering a hip pointer, according to McVay, and “he should be OK.”

Rookies to be in the special teams spotlight Sunday vs. Seahawks

Darrell Henderson and Nsimba Webster will be the Rams’ kick and punt returners this week.

The Rams lost JoJo Natson for the season last week against the Cardinals after he suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on IR. Natson doesn’t contribute on offense, but he is a contributor on special teams.

He’s been the Rams’ primary punt and kick returner this season, so with him sidelined, the coaching staff will need to find a replacement (or two) on those units. It didn’t take them long to decide who will fill in, leaning on two rookies.

Sean McVay confirmed Friday that Darrell Henderson will be the kick returner and Nsimba Webster will return punts, simply saying “yes” when asked if that’s the plan.

Henderson was a third-round pick by the Rams and has carried the ball 37 times for 140 yards – at times looking like the explosive player he was at Memphis. With the Tigers, he was a dynamic runner, but he also returned 25 kicks for 487 yards with one touchdown. He hasn’t returned any in the NFL, but he’s more than capable of making a big play or two in that phase of the game.

On punts, it’ll be the undrafted rookie Webster, who was a preseason standout. He’s not as shifty as Natson, but his speed is evident and he gets downhill quickly. He should be able to help the Rams out immediately beyond just calling for fair catches.

“Nsimba was a guy that did a really nice job with that in the preseason,” McVay said this week. “Consistently caught the ball and he’s a guy that can do a really nice job creating after the catch, getting vertical immediately.”

It’s somewhat of a risk to go with two rookies as their returners, but the Rams have almost no other options. The roster is full and there aren’t any better candidates on the team right now. Neither player has done much of anything on offense, so maybe this is their time to have an impact on special teams.