Cam Akers' days with the Los Angeles Rams could well be coming to a close soon.
Though Rams head coach Sean McVay said he would never rule out Akers staying with the club, he confirmed that the team is engaged in talks to trade the running back.
"As of right now, I think the best option for all parties I think would be to explore if there's a good situation for him with another team," McVay told reports during a Monday news conference. "If that doesn't come to fruition, I would never say that him coming back and figuring out the best way to be able utilize him and him being the best player he's capable of is off the table, I would never speak in absolutes like that."
On Friday, McVay announced Akers would miss the Rams' Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers as the team and the back were "working through some things." NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Sunday reported Los Angeles was expected to field trade calls for the third-year back.
Now, the Rams are set to move on from the 2020 second-round pick if they can find a worthy trade suitor with Rapoport having reported there's expected to be significant trade interest.
"There is a possibility that we could try to help him look for a fresh new start with another team," McVay said. "That's something that we've explored. If that doesn't come to fruition, then we'll figure out a solution (on) how to best move forward with him here and those will be things that we'll work towards over the next couple days."
As a rookie in 2020, Akers flashed the potential to be a centerpiece back in McVay's offense, particularly in a 171-yard showing in a Week 14 win over the New England Patriots. However, his second season was all but washed away by an Achilles tear that limited him to one regular-season game before playing during the team's Super Bowl run. The 2022 season has been a disappointment from the start as Akers had just three carries and 12 snaps in Week 1.
Los Angeles is 31st in the league in rushing yards with Darrell Henderson leading the team with only 181 yards on 46 attempts. Akers has 151 yards on five more carries.
McVay continued to keep whatever problems exist with Akers in house, identifying it as "an internal issue."
"There's probably a move that will be made in regards to him being with another team," he said. "If that doesn't happen, we'll move forward. There's a lot of layers to it, but that's kinda where I'll keep it."
