Ravens Trade Offer for ‘Confused’ RB Cam Akers of Rams?
The Los Angeles Rams have been almost uniquely transparent about their disgruntlement with running back Cam Akers, and their efforts to dump him could lead to a fresh start with the Baltimore Ravens.
On Monday, head coach Sean McVay conceded that the club has visited with "a handful of teams" about a trade for Akers. "That's the direction that we're headed,'' McVay said.
And now we know that the 2-0 Ravens - who in Week 1 lost DK Dobbins to a season-ending injury - are one of those teams,
The Schultz Report also includes other potential bidders, including most obviously the Ravens’ AFC North rival the Cleveland Browns, who just lost Nick Chubb for the year.
Akers, for his part, claims to come away from the weekend's odd flurry of events "confused.'' But the Rams are not playing games here, as Akers was a healthy scratch going into Sunday's Week 2 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, with McVay having called the deactivation in the "best interest" of the team.
When is benching your starting running back, a 2020 second-round pick who is playing on his rookie contract, "best''? There is the sense that this is more than just about football, more than just about the elevation of Kyren Williams, who replaced Akers as the Rams' No. 1 back and scored twice with 20 touches against the Niners.
That seems to be what Akers is wondering, having posted on social media, "I'm just as confused as everybody else. I'm blessed though."
But in fact, he surely knows the issues involved … just as he did last year when he skipped out on the Rams for a month while waiting for a trade that never materialized.
The trick here for the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens? Don’t just “make the trade.” Rather, “win it.” The Rams are over a barrel. The player has baggage. The Ravens should not sacrifice anything valuable in trade for a "confused'' "healthy-scratch'' backup running back on the final year of his contract.
