There is a possibility of a shakeup after the week seven bye for the LA Rams. Coach Sean Mcvay said today that running back Cam Akers is inactive this Sunday. Akers was listed out of practice this week for personal reasons, and Mcvay said the team and Akers are “working through some things.” Could this mean Akers will be gone out of LA by week seven?
What To Expect Before Week Seven:
The Rams’ running game has been sub-par this season through five weeks. There could be a couple of reasons why this is the case. The offensive line has five injuries, using what will be six different combinations, and has been abysmal. Akers has contributed to such porous efforts on the ground. In five games, he’s amassed 151 yards on 51 carries, finding the endzone once. It’s unfortunate for Akers, who showed promise in his rookie year as a second-round pick by LA. Since returning from a torn Achilles in 2021, Akers hasn’t looked the same as in 2020.
Week seven might be the end for Akers after Mcvay wouldn’t answer questions about Akers’s future with the team. With a few organizations in a rebuild looking for draft capital, the Rams could be primed to make another mid-season move. LA needs an offensive line upgrade if they can make any trade; an offensive lineman should be part of it.
Trade Rumors:
The big name that LA is linked to right now is Christian McCaffery. Better known as “Run CMC,” the Panthers appear to be in the market for shopping their star running back. A great trade partner for the Rams would be Carolina due to a former Ram is now a Panther. Guard, Austin Corbett was on the Rams’ offensive line last season and spent two and a half years as their anchor at guard. A trade for CMC that included Corbett would be excellent for this offense. Gaining two needs with one move is the ultimate Les Snead move in LA.
The only concern about acquiring McCaffery would be his health. The sixth-year running back missed a considerable chunk of time in the last two seasons. After playing in every game in his first three years, McCaffery missed 23 of the next 33 games. 2022 looks to be the return of Run CMC and less of Limp Bizkit (it’s a musical pun)
Another option for LA would be to rent Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, and he’s returned to prominence in 2022. It would be a much higher ask, however, since the Giants give up their biggest threat. But with the Giants sitting at 4-1, there isn’t much sense in trading Saquon.
Notable Trades:
The Rams are no strangers to mid-season blockbuster trades. Last year, LA made a deal with the Denver Broncos for edge rusher Von Miller. In 2019, LA made additions at need positions when they traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, guard Austin Corbett, and middle linebacker Kenny Young. All of the trades were made within 24 hours of each other. The Rams have needs this year and live by the motto “F them picks,” so don’t be shocked if deals are done by no later than the week seven bye.
The question now becomes, how fast will a deal be made? If the rumors are true, will the agreement be made before the week seven bye? With the Rams playing Carolina this week, are the Panthers willing to trade their star player to a team they play this week? My money would be on no, but by week seven, they could have a deal done to bring in Run CMC.
Check out this great read “How Will Rams Handle Offensive Struggles?”