Will Zach Evans Compete With Cam Akers For Rams RB Touches?
The Los Angeles Rams looked like a shell of their Super Bowl selves last season with the team as a whole regressing, that included running back Cam Akers, so could he lose his job to a rookie in 2023?
Through the first 12 weeks of the season, the 2020 second-round pick looked like his career was coming to an underwhelming conclusion, averaging roughly 10 touches per game for a mere 32 yards.
However, from Week 13 on, he was dominant. He averaged a touchdown per game, 4.9 yards per carry, with 50 percent of his rushing yards coming after contact, and ranking eighth in evaded tackles per attempt with 18.5 touches per game.
While part of his career resurgence can be attributed to the release of Darrell Henderson in Week 12, but he wasn’t the only reason Akers was an afterthought for most of last season.
In 2021, Akers was sidelined for nearly the entire Super Bowl season due to a torn Achilles, an injury that, unlike ACL tears, historically ends running backs’ careers. He showed flashes of his abilities in the aftermath of the tear but lacked consistency.
Then in 2022, he looked to be on his way out of L.A. when he was absent for two weeks in October, and the team was reportedly shopping him around, but he remained on the roster due to a lack of suitors.
In the aftermath of the season, McVay told reporters that “it’d be silly based on what a great job he’s done to think of it anything differently than him being a big part of what you want to be able to do moving forward. But you just take it a day at a time.”
Flash forward to the draft, and the Rams traded up in the sixth round to select Zach Evans out of Ole Miss, a running back with a similar pedigree to Akers outside of the draft capital invested.
Coming out of high school, Evans, like Akers, was regarded as one of the top recruits in the country. In college, Evans averaged 7.3 yards per carry his first two seasons at TCU and then transferred to the SEC, playing for Ole Miss and averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
After selecting Akers, McVay was complimentary of him as a player, “I thought [Evans] did a great job at Ole Miss, but even some of the stuff going back to TCU where he’s taking more handoffs out of the pistol, you could really see he’s a smooth runner,” McVay said. “He’s got a seamless ability to be able to work edges on people.”
Indeed, Evans was impressive as a prospect running the ball. His 6.5 yards per carry in the SEC might translate to him being a more efficient runner than Akers, who last season averaged the 32nd highest per carry average in the league at 4.2 yards over the season’s entirety, which ranked below the league average of 4.4 yards.
“I think he has a nice skillset that compliments Cam,” McVay said following the draft.
It’s hard to forget how poorly Akers performed for most of last season when Henderson split reps with him. Evans could take the Rams' lead rushing duties if Akers doesn’t keep his head in the game this season and show that he can be consistent.
You can follow Isaiah DeAnda Delgado on Twitter and Instagram @IsaiahDDelgado.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rams? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Ram Digest message board community today!
Follow Ram Digest on Twitter and Facebook.
Want even more L.A. Rams news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
