Sean McVay gave outsiders very little insight into his plan for the Rams backfield this season. He didn’t reveal how he would handle the workloads of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr., only saying that he likes both players and wants to utilize each of them.
Well, he apparently liked Henderson more than Akers in Week 1, giving him 82% of the snaps and the bulk of the touches in the backfield. Akers’ limited playing time and opportunities to carry the ball were one of the biggest storylines of Week 1; with the running back gaining zero yards on three rushes.
McVay seemed to challenge Akers by saying he needs to show more urgency and accountability, a sign that maybe Akers wasn’t doing what was necessary to earn a bigger role. Fortunately, he seems to be trending in the right direction and McVay said Wednesday, “I love the way he’s responded.”
The good news for fantasy owners is that McVay still has confidence in Akers and wants him and Henderson to be players the Rams can lean heavily on.”
“I want him to be able to be a guy that we’re heavily able to lean on, both him and Darrell. That’s what it’s got to be able to be,” McVay said. “So I think that was pretty much what it is, but I’m always going to communicate with our guys. I’ve never been somebody that believes in messaging the team through the media. I was just kind of answering a question honestly, and I think it got a little bit more play than maybe what I had anticipated. But bottom line is this, this is a guy I have a lot of confidence in. I know he’s going to respond the right way. We’ve absolutely had conversations where it’s because of the belief that I have, why I’m pushing him. Where guys should be worried is if I’m not believing, if I stop coaching, or don’t think you’re capable of it, that’s when I would be concerned about it. But he’s a guy that (has) always responded the right way. He’s a mentally tough kid and he’s going to make some plays for us. I do believe that.”
Henderson carried the ball 13 times in the opener against the Bills and had just 47 yards, 18 of which came on one carry. As a team, the Rams rushed for only 52 yards, which was the lowest total in the NFL in Week 1.
Moving forward, they need more out of both Henderson and Akers if the offense is going to improve as a whole.