Cam Akers of the Los Angeles Rams in July. Jul 31, 2022; Irvine, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers (3) during training camp at UC Irvine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more surprising things to come out of Week 1 of the regular season was the lack of playing time from Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers.

Akers only ended up playing just 12 snaps in the Rams’ opening day loss to the Buffalo Bills, where fellow running back Darrell Henderson saw the majority of the work out of the backfield.

Rams head coach Sean McVay discussed the lack of usage for the former Florida State standout, saying that Akers needed to show “an increased level of urgency” snap in and snap out.

This message appears to have gotten through clearly to Akers (seen above in camp in July). He responded by telling the media that he is going to try and do anything that McVay wants in order to grow as a player.

“If Coach don’t think I’m being urgent, then I need to be more urgent,” Akers told ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “That’s what it comes down to.”

“Whatever Coach says, I’m going to take it and I’m going to learn from it. 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.”

This certainly seems like the exact right thing to say for the third-year running back as he tries to get back in the good graces of the Rams’ coaching staff.

Akers is also coming off a devastating torn Achilles before the 2021 season, which caused him to miss the entire regular season last year.

Even if he feels fully healthy, this type of serious injury is one that takes quite some time before a player is fully up to speed, so it is entirely possible that the Rams are being cautious with him for that reason to start the year.

[ESPN; photo from Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.