The Los Angeles Rams surprisingly released Darrell Henderson Jr. on Tuesday, making some fans wonder if the move was made to create room for someone who was also recently released by his respective team: Melvin Gordon. While Gordon’s name has been tied to the Rams in recent years, it doesn’t make sense for the reigning Super Bowl champions to pursue the veteran running back after he’s cleared waivers following his release from the Denver Broncos, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Former Broncos RB Melvin Gordon cleared waivers and is now a free agent.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 22, 2022
The Rams boast a dismal 3-7 record entering a Week 12 road matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have strung together four straight wins and appear to be the team to beat in the AFC. To make matters worse, Matthew Stafford is in the league’s concussion protocol for the second time in the last two weeks and Cooper Kupp could potentially miss the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery.
Given the current state of the team, the Rams may be wise to deploy more of their young players for the rest of the season to see who can contribute in the future. Bringing in a 29-year-old back that has nearly 2,000 career touches to his name is more of a win-now move that the Rams aren’t in a position to make.
Just this past week against the New Orleans Saints, the rushing attack showed signs of life with Cam Akers and Kyren Williams splitting the majority of the touches. Akers and Williams combined for 105 scrimmage yards on 22 total touches in Week 11 to help Los Angeles produce a season-high 148 rushing yards as a team.
With the current injuries and the team’s diminishing odds to sneak into the playoffs, Akers and Williams should get more run down the final stretch of the regular season to see if they can be part of the hopeful backfield revival in 2023. So for those believing that all the signs point toward Gordon signing with the Rams after being waived by the Broncos — and Henderson’s release from the team — Los Angeles would be wise not to bring in an experienced back, especially one that wouldn’t be in the organization’s long-term plans.
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