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Los Angeles Rams News & Rumors

McVay: Rams Likely To Move Cam Akers

October 17th, 2022 at 4:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams’ Cam Akers drama escalated quickly, and the team is preparing to end it with a separation. The defending Super Bowl champions are exploring a move that will give the third-year running back a fresh start elsewhere, Sean McVay said Monday.

An unspecified issue emerged between Akers and the Rams late last week, leading to the team’s starting running back being a healthy scratch in Week 6. Akers, 23, is believed to have a football-related issue with the Rams, and McVay said (via ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop, on Twitter).there will “probably” be a transaction made that allows Akers to land with another team soon.

That said, McVay stopped short of guaranteeing the former second-round pick will depart, Eric Williams of Fox Sports notes (via Twitter). But the team is already engaging in exploratory conversations about dealing Akers.

The Florida State product missed two practices late last week for personal reasons, per the Rams, and it later came out on-field matters have divided these parties. Akers’ rookie contract runs through 2023. Philosophical differences are believed to have split McVay and Akers, who has not returned to his pre-Achilles-tear form. The Rams asked Akers not to show for practice Thursday and Friday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

Akers suffered the tear early during Los Angeles’ 2021 training camp and made a quicker-than-expected comeback, allowing for postseason contributions. Those contributions proved minimal, however, and Akers (3.0 yards per carry, albeit behind a battered Rams offensive line) has not shown much during his third season. This obviously stands to dent his trade value, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link) trade interest has surfaced already.

As a rookie, however, Akers amassed 625 yards on 143 carries. He then logged 28 totes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ wild-card win over the Seahawks. Akers was tracking to be L.A.’s starter to open last season, but his injury prompted the Rams to go with Darrell Henderson and trade acquisition Sony Michel. Akers’ return late last year preceded the Rams letting Michel walk in free agency. Henderson, who is in a contract year, will reside as the team’s top back. Akers still started ahead of the former third-round pick for most of this season, and this strange halt to his Rams career certainly proves interesting.

Rams LT Joe Noteboom Suffers Torn Achilles

October 17th, 2022 at 3:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

OCTOBER 17: ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry confirms (on Twitter) that Noteboom has indeed torn his Achilles. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.

OCTOBER 16: The Rams exited today’s game against the Panthers with a win on the scoreboard, but another injury along the offensive line. As head coach Sean McVay alluded to when speaking to the media, left tackle Joe Noteboom is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles. 

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that further testing will be done (Twitter link). If the initial diagnosis is confirmed, however, Noteboom will be out for the remainder of the season. That would mark yet another major blow to the Rams’ offensive line, one which has been ravaged by injuries in 2022.

The defending champions have been forced to delve much further down the depth chart than they would have thought or hoped entering the season. The center and right guard positions in particular have been in considerable flux. Brian Allen, David Edwards and Coleman Shelton should be able to return at various points later in the campaign to help reinforce the interior offensive front, but Logan Bruss and Tremayne Anchrum have already been lost for the year.

Noteboom, 27, re-signed on a three-year deal this offseason. That move cemented his status as the successor to Andrew Whitworth on the blindside after he spent the past two years backing up the now retired All-Pro. His first campaign as an undisputed first-teamer has seen the former third-rounder struggle in pass protection, however. Five sacks and 23 pressures allowed entering today’s game contributed to Noteboom’s 65.8 PFF grade, and the overall woes of the offensive line in general.

The Rams have surrendered 22 sacks (tied for the second-most in the NFL) through six games this season, as the team deals with the absence of Whitworth and the mounting injuries. They have a bye upcoming to ascertain Noteboom’s status and attempt to return to a healthier position on the line, but it appears he will need replacing for the remainder of the campaign.

Rams’ Cam Akers To Miss Week 6, Could Be Traded

October 16th, 2022 at 7:41am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 16: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Akers may have already played his last down for the Rams. Per Rapoport, Akers and McVay have “philosophical and football-related differences,” and while the two men have remained cordial, LA is expected to field trade calls on the 2020 second-rounder. Despite his inability to return to the level of performance he enjoyed as a rookie, Akers — who appears concerned about his role and his place in the club’s RB hierarchy — is expected to garner significant trade interest.

OCTOBER 14: The Rams will not have Cam Akers in their lineup Sunday. Sean McVay confirmed the third-year running back will miss the team’s Panthers matchup due to personal reasons.

Akers missed the Rams’ Thursday practice due to a personal matter; he will not practice Friday. McVay said the parties are “working through some things.” This is a sudden development for the defending Super Bowl champions, who saw Akers make a fairly quick recovery from summer Achilles surgery to play during the playoffs last season.

McVay confirmed this is not a performance- or injury-related matter, and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes the sixth-year HC was noncommittal regarding Akers’ status with the team going forward. This does appear to be a football-related matter, as CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. Akers is under contract through 2023. It would certainly be a surprising development to see a transaction made here, but the Rams’ backfield will undergo a change this week.

McVay limited Akers’ Week 1 workload and challenge him to show more urgency after that game. But the Rams have used Akers as their primary ball-carrier in recent weeks. He has led the team in carries in each of the past four games, relegating Darrell Henderson to a lesser role than he played in the season opener.

Henderson, who is in a contract year, will step back into the starting role Sunday. A 2019 third-round pick, Henderson has been slightly more effective for the Rams this season, though the team’s battered offensive line has hindered the run game. Henderson is averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Although Akers has been the team’s preferred ball-carrying option since breaking through late in his 2020 rookie season, he has not recaptured his pre-Achilles-tear form. Akers averaged 4.3 yards per carry in 2020 and amassed 221 rushing yards during the team’s two playoff games that year. Last season, however, the Florida State product was ineffective upon his unexpectedly quick return from injury. Akers averaged just 2.6 yards in Los Angeles’ four postseason games and is at 3.0 (51 carries, 151 yards) in five games this season.

The Rams have Henderson and the recently reacquired Malcolm Brown on their active roster. Rookie Kyren Williams is eligible to return from IR, but he has not yet returned to practice. The team hoped to re-sign Jake Funk to its practice squad, but he instead ended up on New Orleans’ P-squad. Rookie UDFA Ronnie Rivers is the only back on L.A.’s taxi squad; the Fresno State product would be in position to be elevated for Week 6.

List Of Christian McCaffrey Suitors Taking Shape?

October 15th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The firing of Matt Rhule has, as expected, led to an increase in trade chatter with respect to the Panthers. Especially as many of their other young cornerstone pieces are unlikely to be moved, attention continues to center on running back Christian McCaffrey. 

Carolina has fielded multiple offers in recent days and weeks on the 26-year-old, but few specifics have been reported to date regarding potential suitors. On that point, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones names the Broncos, 49ers, Rams and Bills as clubs which have so far displayed “varying degrees of interest” in making a trade.

Given their respective situations, each squad on that list could represent a logical destination for McCaffrey. The Colorado native would provide Denver with a short-term replacement for lead back Javonte Williams. His ACL tear will keep him sidelined until at least the start of next season, leaving veteran Melvin Gordon to handle No. 1 duties. The latter will once again hit free agency this spring, though Williams still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, which would make a McCaffrey acquisition redundant beyond the immediate future. That timeline could be the team’s only concerns at the moment, though, given their unexpected struggles offensively.

The 49ers are likewise dealing with the absence of their No. 1 back. Elijah Mitchell is recovering from an MCL sprain, but unlike Williams he will return in 2022. With a trio consisting of veterans Jeff Wilson Jr., Tevin Coleman and rookie Tyrion Davis-Price, the team ranks in the top 10 in the league in rushing yards this season (139 per game). That figure, heavily influenced by the rushing prowess of Deebo Samuel, could steer Kyle Shanahan and Co. away from a pricey acquisition.

The Rams, on the other hand, have shown a willingness to make eye-catching moves in the past and face question marks in their league-worst run game. Cam Akers will miss tomorrow’s contest for vaguely-defined reasons, and has been underwhelming in his return from an Achilles tear this season. Regardless of his intermediate- and long-term future in Los Angeles, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets that the team has a number of other positions to consider augmenting in advance of the trade deadline, including the offensive line. McCaffrey, a Stanford alum, will nevertheless likely remain on their radar.

Buffalo has been mentioned previously as a fit for McCaffrey; the Bills reportedly inquired about trading for him this summer. Quarterback Josh Allen remains the focal point of their offense both in the air and on the ground, though a sizeable investment was made at the RB position this April with the second-round selection of James Cook. He, along with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, have operated as a committee in support of Allen’s production. Complicating any Bills trade offers is the fact that they currently have just $1.2MM in cap space – the third-lowest figure in the league, and much less than the three aforementioned teams.

How Carolina handles McCaffrey (and the level of pursuit showed by these four clubs) will be a key storyline in the build-up to November’s trade deadline.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/22

October 15th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

OBJ Targeted Michael Gallup-Type Offer From Rams

October 13th, 2022 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Odell Beckham Jr.‘s ACL tear sidetracked his free agent market and may well have led the Rams to add Allen Robinson in March. But Beckham remains in the team’s plans. Sean McVay confirmed as much Wednesday.

Beckham, however, voiced frustration with the Rams’ offer(s) to this point. Some clarity came on what type of proposal the eight-year veteran wide receiver sought emerged Thursday, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting the UFA pass catcher wanted a Michael Gallup-type deal from the Rams (video link).

Despite tearing an ACL in late December last year, Gallup re-signed with the Cowboys on a five-year, $57.5MM deal featuring $23MM fully guaranteed. Gallup represented Dallas’ Amari Cooper alternate route at receiver; the younger wideout’s deal commenced shortly after the Cowboys traded Cooper to the Browns.

Gallup’s age (26) and lack of a prior history of major injuries separates his case from Beckham’s, even if the latter has proven to be a higher-ceiling player when healthy and in the right situation. Beckham, 30 in November, has sustained two ACL tears since November 2020. That said, Beckham did prove to be a solid investment for the Rams last year. He topped 100 yards in the NFC championship game and was on track to offering similar production before his second-quarter ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI. Beckham hoped the Rams’ faith in him and their familiarity with his injury, as their team doctor performed his surgery, would lead to a Gallup-esque multiyear commitment, Rapoport notes.

The former Giants Pro Bowler seeking a multiyear deal is interesting, considering the injury issue that is currently suppressing his market. Rather than bet on himself producing a late-season run this year and gearing up for potentially a final notable payday in 2023, Beckham looks to prefer a deal that runs beyond 2022 — potentially well beyond this year. Such an agreement would provide security, depending on the structure, for the injury-prone performer. It would also likely produce a lower AAV compared to if he hit the 2023 market healthy. OBJ’s injury past also stands to make teams leery of offering too much at this point.

With this being a rather unusual free agency situation, Beckham should be expected to be a frequent presence in NFL news cycles in the coming weeks. He is still targeting a mid-November return, though a recent report indicated he may not be ready for game action until December.

Rams Notes: OBJ, Injuries, Offensive Line

October 12th, 2022 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Odell Beckham Jr. took to Twitter earlier today to express disappointment in the Rams’ latest offer, noting that the front office offered him “the lowest of low offers.” Despite OBJ’s public complaint about negotiations, Rams head coach Sean McVay actually expressed optimism about re-signing the veteran receiver.

“I love Odell. We have constant dialogue,” McVay said today (via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue). “I think he also knows that certainly I don’t think that’s the last (offer) that will come from us. I’m not familiar with exactly what it is, he knows how we feel about him. We’ve got a little bit of time. Love Odell, nothing but good things coming from me.”

While OBJ has been considering overtures from various teams, the receiver did admit that the Rams “know where [he] wanted to be.” If the organization is willing to extend a bit financially, it sounds like they should have the inside track on signing the wideout.

Beckham Jr. joined the Rams midway through last season and had 305 receiving yards and five touchdowns in eight games. He added another 21 catches in four playoff games, with his postseason ending prematurely thanks to a torn ACL suffered during the Super Bowl. The Rams have continually been connected to the receiver throughout the offseason, even after extending Cooper Kupp and spending on Allen Robinson.

More notes out of Los Angeles:

  • Rams wideout Cooper Kupp (foot), defensive tackle Aaron Donald (foot), and tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) were all held out of practice today. McVay said the three players are dealing with injuries sustained during their Week 5 loss to the Cowboys, but he doesn’t expect the ailments to impact the players’ availability for Sunday’s game against the Panthers (per NFL.com).
  • The Rams have yet to find their footing on offense, with the running game struggling in particular. McVay was asked about the team’s struggles so far, and instead of pointing the finger at Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson, he instead attributes the issues to a lack of continuity on the offensive line. “It depends on the types of concepts and things that we’re trying to activate, but we’ve been at our best when there’s an identity but enough versatility to be able to alleviate the stress off of some of your core concepts, and it takes all 11 (players),” McVay said (h/t to John Dillon of The Rams Wire). “It has been a challenge because we’ve never had the same guys up front. We’ve had backs that haven’t really practiced, we’re trying to get a bunch of different things going, all of which is an excuse that just is what I think is for weak-minded people. I’m not going to make them, but we just got to continue to keep swinging and keep plugging along and figure it out because nobody cares and we’ve got to fix it.” The Rams lost another lineman yesterday when they placed guard David Edwards on injured reserve.
  • Speaking of running backs, the Rams moved on from RB Jake Funk earlier this week, and the RB has since found a new home on the Saints practice squad. Funk saw time in 10 games with Los Angeles in 2021, mostly appearing on special teams.

Odell Beckham Jr. Addresses Rams’ Offer; Bills Not Serious Suitor?

October 12th, 2022 at 1:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now connected to several teams besides the Rams, Odell Beckham Jr. may be opening the door to joining a fourth NFL team. The free agent wide receiver expressed disappointment with the defending Super Bowl champions’ offer.

Responding to a Twitter post, the eight-year veteran said the Rams sent “the lowest of low offers” this year in free agency. In a separate tweet, Beckham said the Rams “know where [he] wanted to be” but noted it might be difficult for him to come back given what the team offered.

The Rams emerged early as the runaway leaders to sign Beckham, but after the team gave Allen Robinson a three-year, $46.5MM deal, those prospects appeared to dim. But all the notable Rams decision-makers said the team still wanted Beckham back. Even after the Rams gave Cooper Kupp a $26.7MM-per-year extension, Kevin Demoff expressed confidence a reunion would commence. As of now, however, Beckham is unsatisfied with what the Rams are willing to pay to complete that reunion.

Although Von Miller continues to drive (circle?) the Beckham-to-Buffalo wagon, the Bills may not be as interested. Categorizing the Beckham-Bills prospect as “smoke,” The Athletic’s Tim Graham notes the team may not be a serious player here. While Graham notes the Bills will inquire, it does not seem like the AFC East favorites are the Beckham frontrunners. The Bills lost Jamison Crowder (fractured ankle) but have since seen Isaiah McKenzie clear concussion protocol. The Bills have also seen early returns on their fifth-round Khalil Shakir investment. Josh Allen’s chemistry with his current crop plays into the unlikelihood a Beckham deal will take place, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds.

Miller also connected Beckham to the Buccaneers and Saints, and a subsequent report mentioned the Chiefs and Packers as interested parties. A few of these teams were in on Beckham last year, but the Rams came in late in the process and convinced him to join what turned out to be a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Weeks away from his 30th birthday, the three-time Pro Bowler looms as the top free agent available and a player who could move the needle during this season’s Super Bowl pursuit.

Eager to separate from a Browns situation that proved ill-fitting, Beckham maneuvered his way out of Cleveland and the Giants-constructed five-year, $90MM contract. The Rams won the high-profile midseason pursuit with just a one-year, $1.25MM sum (featuring a collected $3MM incentive package) for a half-season of work. Beckham, who topped 100 yards in the NFC championship game and scored a touchdown in Super Bowl LVI, saw his latest ACL tear hijack his 2022 market. The standout receiver would have been one of this year’s top free agents; instead, he has been rehabbing on his own while waiting for a worthwhile offer.

Beckham is believed to be on track to return at some point in November, which would explain the increased buzz regarding potential landing spots. Eight months after his injury — the marquee performer’s second ACL tear in a 15-month span — Beckham has been cleared for noncontact work. That said, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue adds December may be a more realistic timetable for a return to game action.

As for the Rams, Robinson’s struggles (12 receptions, 107 yards) may prompt them to increase their offer. Other teams’ interest will naturally affect how Los Angeles plays this as well. Sean McVay has consistently said he would like OBJ back, and his offense has a bigger need at receiver than it did when the team courted him last year. Beckham interest remains, per Rodrigue, who adds a multiyear deal featuring incentives and team flexibility would likely be the play. Would Beckham be willing to tie himself to such a contract now rather than attempting to display health and parlay that form into a 2023 free agency deal?

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/22

October 11th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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