Random Ramsdom: Will Darrell Henderson capitalize on pivotal contract season?

The Rams will have some tough decisions to make following this upcoming season, as their 2019 draft class are all on schedule to be free agents at the end of the year. One of the players that is a part of that class is running back Darrell Henderson, arguably the best player the Rams selected in an extremely successful draft for the team.

Henderson, who had a grand total of 1831 yards from scrimmage along with 14 TDs since 2019, has been a staple in the Rams offense since being selected. As a dual threat running back, Henderson’s versatility is what makes him effective, and last season he seemed to really blossom in the passing game as he posted career highs in all receiving stats. On top of that, Henderson had career highs in rushing as well, putting together his best overall season as an NFL player thus far.

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With all of that being said, there is a real chance Henderson takes a substantial drop off in terms of production, as starting running back Cam Akers is now fully healthy and will be the teams feature back. In my opinion, the Rams would be better served to use both Henderson and Akers equally, and basically try and minimize the overall load that each of them will need to carry.

As two running backs who have yet to play a full season, a little bit of load management would not hurt either the team nor Henderson and Akers. Also, the talent between the two is not as far apart as some may think, as Henderson has proven before that he is a guy who is capable of being a starting back in this league. My guess is Henderson will make the most of his opportunities this season, and set himself up to potentially find a home elsewhere as a teams feature back.

Will Darrell Henderson make the most of his contract season? Let me know your thoughts below!

Today’s links:

RAMS NEWS:

Watch: Allen Robinson makes great TD grab over Rams DB in practice (RamsWire)

Matthew Stafford expects big things from ‘ultra-talented’ Joe Noteboom at LT (RamsWire)

6 standouts from Rams’ first week of training camp (YahooSports)

NFL NEWS:

Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson suspended 6 games for violating NFL’s personal conduct policy (ESPN)

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray tests positive for COVID-19 (NFL.com)

Bucs’ Brady ‘heartbroken’ by Jensen’s knee injury, expects Hainsey to ‘go earn’ starting center job (NFL.com)