It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Los Angeles Rams selected Cam Akers 52nd overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He was drafted to ideally take over as the Rams’ franchise running back following their split with Todd Gurley, but things didn’t go according to plan.
That’s not to say there weren’t bright spots during Akers’ tenure. He had several encouraging moments with the Rams, but there were also plenty of pitfalls and lows over the last three-plus years.
Buy Rams TicketsWith Akers being traded to the Minnesota Vikings this week, we’re looking back at the highs and lows of his time in Los Angeles.
High: Career-best 171 yards vs. Patriots in 2020
Akers didn’t play much in the first half of his rookie season. He didn’t crack 25 snaps in a single game until Week 13, in part due to a rib injury and also because Sean McVay wanted to see him mature and get better without the ball in his hands.
Well, in Week 14, Akers erupted for 171 yards rushing against the Patriots, earning Offensive Player of the Week honors in the NFC. It was the first real sign of Akers’ promise as a running back, looking every bit like a future Pro Bowler in that game.
High: 131 yards in playoff win vs. Seahawks in 2020
That postseason, Akers helped carry the Rams to a win despite losing John Wolford early in the game and being forced to plug in an injured Jared Goff to finish the contest. Akers rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 45 yards, totaling 176 yards from scrimmage in the win.
He had another 90 yards rushing against the Packers the following week, but this performance against Seattle was particularly good.
Low: Torn Achilles before 2021 season
Akers was expected to be a huge part of the offense in 2021 but he tore his Achilles while training for the season. It was a devastating blow before training camp, costing Akers just about his entire season. The Rams overcame his injury and still managed to win the NFC West with a 12-5 record, but it was an unfortunate way for Akers to start his second season in the NFL.
High: Returns early from Achilles injury in time for 2021 playoffs
Amazingly, Akers returned from his Achilles injury in less than six months. He made his 2021 debut in Week 18 against the 49ers, carrying it five times for 3 yards. It was a slow and cautious start, but Akers played all four postseason games, including the Super Bowl, and rushed for a total of 171 yards in those contests.
Low: Backup to start 2022 season
Everyone expected Akers to be the workhorse to start the 2022 season, but instead, he got just three carries in the opener against the Bills. He played only 12 snaps in that game and had zero total yards, raising some eyebrows across the NFL world. He got 15 carries in the following game but Akers wasn’t the Rams’ top running back like so many thought he’d be.
Low: Leaves team for 3 weeks in 2022 due to dispute with coaches
Things got really weird in Week 6 of the 2022 season when Akers and the Rams had some sort of dispute. Akers requested a trade and proceeded to step away from the team for three weeks, missing two games in the process. Ultimately, the Rams and Akers worked things out and he remained with the team after it seemed almost inevitable that he’d either be cut or traded. It’s still not totally clear what happened during that time but it’s clear Akers wasn’t happy about something.
High: Finishes 2022 season with three straight 100-yard games
Even though the Rams’ season was lost by this point, Akers finished the year as strong as he could have. In the final three games, he rushed for 118 yards, 123 yards and 104 yards, scoring three touchdowns in Week 16 against the Broncos on Christmas Day. It seemed like Akers had done enough to be the unquestioned starter heading into 2023, but as we now know, that was hardly the case.
Low: Healthy scratch in Week 2 of 2023 season
Akers and Kyren Williams split the backfield in Week 1, with Akers getting 22 carries in the win over Seattle. He only had 29 yards, though, and was terribly inefficient. The next week, Los Angeles made him a healthy scratch, sitting him down against the 49ers and leaning completely on Williams.
After this game, we learned that the Rams were planning to move on from Akers and three days later, he was traded to the Vikings.
