Running back Cam Akers and the LA Rams wish to part ways. In light of this, the LA Rams ought to be searching for a new running back prior to the NFL trade deadline on November 1.
Cam Akers can be replaced by a “Bargain-Basement” RB for the LA Rams
A inexpensive option might be appealing to the LA Rams, who are having financial difficulties this year and are having trouble moving the ball on the ground. The notion comes from Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who identified Cleveland Browns running back D’Ernest Johnson as a prime trade target. The cap-friendly pricing was noted by Knox as a key factor in choosing to make this deal:
“With a bargain-basement one-year, $1.2 million contract, Johnson should be on the radar of every running back-needy team.” – per Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox
The two teams have also recently exchanged players, with the Rams receiving cornerback Troy Hill from the Browns in April.
Johnson is up to the task Akers desires
Although Johnson’s price is low, the Browns will overlook him in 2022 despite the fact that his talent is anything from inexpensive. The 26-year-old made a bit of a splash as a rookie last season, rushing 100 times for 534 yards and three scores.
Johnson impressed, but it took injuries for him to enter the starting lineup. He seized the opportunity while the Browns’ running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt were down, but now that they are both back this season, Johnson’s statistics have deteriorated.
While Chubb is the NFL’s leading rusher for the Browns, he has yet to take a single carry. Johnson stays off the field because Hunt is the Cleveland Browns’ go-to back on third down and at the goal line while Chubb was, is, and will continue to serve as the team’s workhorse.
Johnson has every reason to be given an opportunity to shine in a prominent position by the Rams. It’s what Sean McVay, the head coach, hasn’t been able to provide Akers.
What’s up with Akers?
This season, it looks like Akers has lost something. It’s not just a coincidence that I noticed that; it’s probably the main reason why the player and team are currently at odds.
Akers hasn’t often seized opportunities that have been presented to him. In contrast, the 2020 second-round pick of the Rams is only averaging three yards per carry. It’s understandable why whispers are intensifying about the Rams potentially signing All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers.
Johnson is a more affordable alternative for a team Spotrac.com estimates has just $4,931,090 in available salary cap space. It’s also true that Johnson, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 208 pounds, is more of a powerhouse than McCaffrey.
The third-stringer for the Browns possesses the one-cut mobility that McVay’s zone-based rushing tactics require. Johnson has the ability to finish strong, as evidenced by this last season’s touchdown against the Denver Broncos:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1451344580973006848?s=20&t=wqGj7mj1Mt-5oX5TpFDm1w
The running game of the LA Rams is without a dependable chain-mover in Sean McVay’s playbook. RB Darrell Henderson, RB Malcolm Brown, or rookie RB Kyren Williams won’t be able to fill the position on their own.
Right now, a trade makes sense, and acquiring Johnson would probably only require a late-round draft pick for the following year or later. This is the kind of low-risk, high-yield transaction that shrewd clubs would undertake to save their seasons.
After six games, the defending Super Bowl champs’ running average of 70.5 yards per game won’t help them turn around their season. The Rams require assistance. D’Ernest Johnson, a running back with the Cleveland Browns, needs another opportunity.
That seems to be the beginning of a lovely friendship.
