Cam Akers landing spots: Rams have spoken to teams about trading RB; Sean McVay explains decision

Cam Akers was inactive Sunday for the Rams‘ 30-23 Week 2 loss against the 49ers and L.A.’s former starting running back is on the trading block, according to Fox Sports.

The Rams have already contacted other teams in an effort to move Akers, who didn’t play Sunday despite being healthy, Jay Glazer reported. Akers responded to the report on X (formerly Twitter).

On Monday, head coach Sean McVay essential confirmed Glazer’s report by telling reporters that general manager Les Snead has spoken with a few teams about Akers, per The Athletic, and that “that’s the direction” the team is heading in. After Sunday’s loss to San Francisco, McVay said making Akers inactive was a “coaches decision.” 

“Felt like that was best for our football team,” McVay said, via NFL.com. “Felt like Kyren [Williams] gave us the best opportunity and what Ronnie (Rivers) and Royce (Freeman) had done, so that was the decision that I made.”

A former second-round pick, Akers helped the Rams win the Super Bowl during his second season after recovering from an Achilles injury that was sustained during the summer. He rushed for a career-high 786 yards and seven touchdowns last year despite asking for a trade during the first half of the season. Akers had just 29 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries during the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Seahawks. 

“I have tremendous respect for Cam Akers, but I felt like for our football team today and in this game and as we moved forward, that was going to be the best decision for us,” McVay added.

Williams, a second-year back, replaced Akers in the Rams’ starting lineup in Week 2 against the 49ers. He rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Williams led the Rams last week with 52 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. 

The Rams will likely receive interest for Akers. Here’s a look at the teams that could try to add Akers to their backfield. 

Baltimore immediately comes  to mind after the Ravens recently lost starting running back J.K. Dobbins for the year with a knee injury. The Ravens do have good backups in Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but both players have their own injury history, so Akers could be added insurance if either player goes down. 

While explosive, Miami’s offense could use some reinforcements at running back. Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins’ starting running back, had 37 yards and a score on 10 carries in Miami’s season-opening win over the Chargers. No other Miami back had more than 11 yards, however, as the Dolphins finished the game with 70 yards on 20 carries. 

Like Miami, Tampa doesn’t have much depth behind its starting running back, Rachaad White. White ran for 39 yards on 17 carries in Week 1, but no other Buccaneers back had more than 15 yards in Tampa’s season-opening win over Minnesota. Baker Mayfield actually had the second-most carries in last week’s win, which doesn’t bode well in the long run. 

Chargers 

On paper, the Chargers are OK at running back with Austin Ekeler and backup Joshua Kelley, who had 91 yards on 16 carries in the team’s Week 1 loss to Miami. But with Ekeler dealing with an injury, adding a back of Akers’ caliber to the backfield wouldn’t be a bad ideal for the Chargers. 

Tony Pollard is a Pro Bowl caliber back, but the Cowboys don’t have a proven back behind him. Rico Dowdle, a four-year veteran who had seven career carriers prior this season, had six carries for 24 yards in mop up duty during last Sunday night’s blowout win over the Giants.