The Los Angeles Rams were surprisingly unable to pull off a trade ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline, meaning they will be playing out the season with what they currently have on the roster. It seemingly wasn’t for a lack of trying as they were involved in plenty of trade rumors but were unable to get anything finished.
Searching for some pass-rushing help, the Rams reportedly made a huge offer to the Carolina Panthers for Brian Burns. Two first-round picks were supposedly what the Rams offered, but the Panthers were intent on keeping Burns and turned the deal down.
Los Angeles was also linked to some offensive playmakers, as wide receiver Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans was a name mentioned prominently. Running backs were also mentioned as they were linked to Christian McCaffrey before he was traded by the Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers.
Since no move was made to bolster the backfield, the Rams look like they are ready to turn back to Cam Akers. Akers has not appeared in a game since Week 5, as he has been inactive their last two games. However, the 2020 second-round pick returned to practice on Wednesday and there is a chance that he suits up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend.
This is quite a turn of events for Akers and the Rams, as it looked like his tenure with the team was done a few weeks ago. They were pushing hard to find a trade partner and even if one wasn’t found, many thought he would be on the move via release if need be.
The Florida State product has struggled mightily this season as he still lacks the burst and explosiveness he possessed before his Achilles injury during the 2021 offseason. He has also had some stays in Sean McVay’s doghouse as the two haven’t seemed to be on the same page at points in the season.
But, they are going to try putting all of that behind them and figure things out for the stretch run of the season. Los Angeles has one of the most anemic running games in the NFL, which the offensive line deserves some blame for. But, there is too much talent on this offense for them to not eventually figure something out.
