Cam Akers Returns to Rams After 'Good Conversation' with Coach McVay
Third-year running back Cam Akers never left the Los Angeles Rams - technically.
During the 19-day period that started with Akers missing practice while "working through some things" and ended with him returning to the Rams' facility on Wednesday just one day after the NFL's trade deadline, it appeared certain that the former second-round draft pick had played his final down in Los Angeles.
Though Akers never formally requested a trade, he and the team seemed to have grown apart, largely due to a lack of agreement on the ex-Florida State star's role. In the five games he appeared in before the trade talks began, Akers saw a modest 51 carries but mustered just 151 yards, earning a subpar three yards per rush.
Akers has yet to eclipse more than 30 snaps in a game and his overall efficiency and explosiveness have dramatically declined since sustaining a torn Achilles during the 2021 offseason.
As late as Wednesday, even after the trade deadline, it seemed as if Akers may still be on his way out, with Rams coach Sean McVay admitting that a release was possible. But nevertheless, the 23-year-old is back in the mix, at least partially due to a productive conversation with McVay during the week.
"We ended up having a good conversation and we felt like the best thing moving forward was to be able to try to get him back here, get him going," McVay said. "We’re a better team when he ends up being the guy that we know. (I) felt good about our discussion, so that's how we'll move forward accordingly."
Officially on the roster, the next step for Akers is getting back to game action. His first opportunity to do so comes Sunday when the Rams hit the road for a contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McVay said that the Rams are "still working through" whether or not Akers will be able to play, A full participant in practice both Thursday and Friday, Akers had "a good day of work" in his return to the field and continues to ramp up as he gets back into football shape.
Los Angeles' Super Bowl-winning coach broke down the final deciding factors as to whether or not Akers is active on Sunday, with most centering around conditioning.
“Really just seeing how he feels physically and then just looking at (his) ability to digest everything," said McVay. "But most important thing is just with him having been off for the last couple weeks, ‘All right, how is he feeling physically?’ and making sure that we don't leave him susceptible to any unnecessary things like of a soft tissue nature, things like that.”
As a result, Akers will likely be a game-time call Sunday, but after all, signs pointed to him being elsewhere at this point, the status of his availability is a welcomed question for McVay and the Rams' staff.
Through the chaos, Los Angeles knew its team could benefit from Akers' presence, should he be able to get back to the form he flashed early in his career.
In the end, Akers and the Rams managed to hash things out, and with tension surely at an all-time high, persevered through the storm together.
Now, they'll look to get both their individual and team seasons back on track, beginning Sunday inside Raymond-James Stadium against Tom Brady's Bucs, with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. local time.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter at @DFlickDraft
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