Getty Darrell Henderson carries the football during a Memphis Tigers football game at Tulane in 2018.
When Cam Akers went down with a serious Achilles tear that requires him to miss the 2021 season, many wondered if Darrell Henderson Jr. is a prime fit to carry the running game load for the Los Angeles Rams moving forward.
Good news for the former Memphis Tiger: He’s got the vote of confidence from another past Memphis great, who happens to be a Rams legend.
Isaac Bruce, the future Rams Hall of Fame wide receiver, dove into the running back situation on the Wednesday evening edition of the “Ramblings” podcast he co-hosts with fellow ex-Ram Doc Holliday. Near the 6:20 mark of the show, the team’s all-time leading receiver shared his strong belief that Henderson can handle the load now bequeathed by Akers.
“I’ve got a lot of trust in Darrell Henderson,” Bruce told Holliday. “Mr. Henderson has been waiting for this moment. I think he’s one of those home run hitter guys. He’s a guy entering his third season – so you got some contract ramifications that could heat up for him. I think he’ll go in, I think he’ll play well and he’ll solidify this spot.”
Will History Repeat Itself Regarding the Rams Adding During the Season?
Bruce and Holliday are well aware of this scenario the Rams are facing since they saw it recently: The RB room getting depleted and the need to go out and get a veteran presence.
Luring in C.J. Anderson off waivers not only gave the Rams a much needed change-of-pace option for the oft-injured Todd Gurley, but the Rams managed to also ride Anderson’s legs to the franchise’s third NFC crown.
So far, the Rams have opted not to bring in any veteran still out on the open free agent market including Gurley, who McVay addressed before the start of camp. Bruce, though, acknowledges that Akers’ absence does leave a significant gap in the Ram offense.
“Losing Cam is big,” Bruce said. “First and foremost, he’s a friend to these guys. Secondly, you talk about one of the guys that you’re looking to run a lot of the offense through in Cam Akers. At the same time, let’s be honest: We’ve been a team that has gone out, in the middle of the season, and brought in a C.J. Anderson…guys who have probably been on the streets who came in and worked out well for us.”
Does Bruce believe history will repeat itself in this situation?
“I don’t see the Rams really not doing that this year. Maybe there are some guys out there who can come in and help fortify that running game if they feel we’re not getting it done,” Bruce said.
But again, the Grind City legend Bruce has confidence that fellow Memphis icon Henderson will work out just fine for the Rams.
As it is, Henderson seems to have found ways to energize the Ram fans at UC Irvine, even if it’s on a simple dump pass that occurred during Friday’s “install” practice.
Crowd goes wild as Matthew Stafford dumps a pass off to Darrell Henderson #LARams
Of course, Ram fans will get more energized if Henderson can pull off plays like these from his Memphis days.
Darrell Henderson was ELECTRIC at Memphis ⚡️
(via @jessbensontv)
‘Doc’ Another Believer
Marcus “Doc” Holliday, who rushed for 1,275 yards and scored nine touchdowns in his four seasons at Memphis, says he’s on board with McVay’s decision to leave Henderson on the sidelines during the three preseason games. Holliday adds that changes will only be made if the head coach and front office may not be sold on the likes of Xavier Jones, Jake Funk and Raymond Calais.
“I think how those reserve do in preseason games and in this training camp is really going to determine what Sean McVay and Les Snead want to do as far as going out and getting a veteran running back,” Holliday said. “I agree with McVay not letting Henderson play because he is the dude right now. He’s going to be RB1.”
But like Bruce, “Doc” is another 901 region guy who wants to see Henderson thrive on the Rams.
“I just want to see Darrell Henderson, the University of Memphis Tiger product from Batesville, Mississippi, I want to see him take it and really go with it and show that dawg that we know he has,” Holliday said.