THOUSAND OAKS — Running back Cam Akers returned to the Rams’ facility on Wednesday, a day after the team failed to trade him before the NFL trade deadline, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fully back with the team.
Rams coach Sean McVay said he had a good conversation with Akers, who expressed his desire to be a part of the team, according to McVay. Akers was sent home last month a few days before the Rams’ Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers for “in-house” reasons that McVay has kept private.
At the time, the Rams’ first option was to give their 2020 second-round pick a fresh start by trading him to another team. Now the top option is to find a way to make amends and have Akers help with the Rams’ stagnant rushing game this season.
McVay said there’s a possibility Akers could practice this week and play in the Rams’ road game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Akers, who has been inactive the past two games, didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice.
“There’s a possibility of that, as far as playing on Sunday,” McVay said. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but we’re working through some different things, and like I said, after that conversation, got a couple different things that are some options that we can potentially do moving forward and we’ll have clarity on that as far as getting him back working with this group or if that means exploring other avenues, but want to be able to explore that first one first.
“Let him be able to digest some of the things that we discussed, work through that with his family, and obviously, (agent) David Mulugheta and then we’ll see with the next steps.”
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said he’s confident McVay will make the right decision regarding Akers’ situation.
“I haven’t thought too much about it,” Stafford said. “I got enough stuff on my plate, to be honest with you. That’s where Coach (McVay) is great at handling those things. Whatever they’re going through, they’ll work that out and I trust whatever decision is made.”
Akers, 23, tweeted “I miss football” on Monday and he responded to a comment that read “Then play football.”
“If it was up to me I would be,” Akers replied.
The disagreement between McVay and Akers became public after McVay told reporters that he needed to see more urgency from his running back following the season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills. Akers, who recorded three carries for 0 yards against the Bills, said he was unsure what McVay meant by more urgency.
“Whatever Coach says I’m going to take it and learn from it,” Akers said on Sept. 14. “Whatever you want to say, I’m going to take it and learn from it and go from there. Whether I think it’s right or not. Maybe I’m not always right.”
With a few weeks for both sides to cool off, Akers and the Rams might be headed toward a reunion.
“When you get a chance to reflect on it, you can be honest about what you can do differently, talking about myself, and some of the expectations,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of confidence and there’s a lot of belief in the human being and the player Cam Akers based on the experiences. You don’t want to jump to conclusions based on a couple things that nobody was necessarily at fault, but it could have been handled better and I always look at myself first and foremost.”
Akers has 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on 51 carries in five games this season.
QUIET TRADE DEADLINE
The Rams’ history of making aggressive trades might have contributed to their quiet trade deadline this year.
McVay said they explored options, but “nothing really fit” because of the compensation teams were asking for. The Rams don’t have a first-round draft pick in 2023 and their salary cap space is among the lowest in the NFL, two downsides for being aggressive buyers in previous seasons.
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“It’s gotta be the right fit, it’s gotta be the right player,” McVay said. “In some instances, you’re looking at it and you might not have the compensation that they’re looking for in return. We felt like it didn’t necessarily fit, whether it’s do you have the actual resources to be able to give what they’re looking for. Is it a player? Is it picks? Can you onboard some of the current salaries that these guys have in addition to what we’re dealing with with our current roster.”
KUPP MISSES PRACTICE
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp didn’t practice Wednesday, which was part of the plan for managing the swelling in the All-Pro’s right ankle. McVay said earlier this week that he expects Kupp to play against the Buccaneers.
Center Brian Allen also didn’t practice because he’s dealing with swelling in his knee. He returned to the field last week against the San Francisco 49ers after missing the prior five games because of the knee injury.
Wide receiver Van Jefferson, who made his season debut against the 49ers, was listed as a “limited participant” with a knee injury. Outside linebacker Terrell Lewis received a rest day.