The Los Angeles Rams have shopping running back Cam Akers, whose time with the team appears to be coming to an end. He missed Week 6 due to personal reasons, which later turned out to be due to reported philosophical and football-related differences with Sean McVay.
The Rams haven’t found a trade partner yet, and they tried to include him in a package for Christian McCaffrey, but a new suitor may have just emerged. Jets rookie Breece Hall suffered a torn ACL and minor meniscus injury in Sunday’s win over the Broncos and will miss the rest of the season.
It’s a crushing blow for the 5-2 Jets, who have surprisingly remained in contention through seven weeks. They do have second-year running back Michael Carter and Ty Johnson as backups, but they could be in the market for help at the position.
Seeing as the Jets are three games above .500, they should be buyers at the trade deadline – or at the very least, not sellers. If they see their championship window being open this year, trading a mid-to-late-round pick for Akers might not be a bad idea.
Currently, the Jets have one pick each in Rounds 1-5, as well as two sixth-rounders. They have the capital to acquire Akers if they want to, but the Rams’ asking price is unknown. Given the positional value of running backs, or lack thereof, it’s unlikely Los Angeles could get more than a fourth-rounder for him.
Carter is more than capable of filling in as the Jets’ starter until Hall returns in 2023, but he also isn’t a workhorse-type back. Thus, complementing him with a player such as Akers might be a wise move for New York.
Akers hasn’t looked like the explosive playmaker that he was in 2020 as a rookie, and he won’t be able to fill the shoes of Hall, but he can still help a team this season.