Rams' Cam Akers Designated to Return from IR 5 Months After Torn Achilles Injury

The Los Angeles Rams announced running back Cam Akers was designated to return ahead of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The 2020 second-round pick has yet to make his season debut after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in July. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported at the time he was expected to miss the entire year.

With Thursday's move, the Rams have 21 days to add Akers to their active roster again. That gives them a few weeks to see him in practice and potentially get him ready for the postseason should they clinch a berth.

Head coach Sean McVay told The Athletic's Jordan Rodrigue in October he thought Akers would be able to contribute in the late stage of the 2021 season.

"You don’t want to be presumptuous, but if we are able to make the playoffs and give ourselves a chance to play after [the regular season], the expectation is that Cam would be available to play," he said. "He’s on track to do that."

As a rookie, Akers ran for 625 yards and two touchdowns and caught 11 passes for 123 yards and one score. He was excellent in the playoffs, going for 221 rushing yards in Los Angeles' two games.

In the 22-year-old's absence this year, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Sony Michel have anchored the running game. The pair have 1,268 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

Teams around the NFL are seeing key players land on the reserve/COVID-19 list amid the surge of new cases due to the Omicron variant. The Rams briefly lost Henderson before activating him prior to a 20-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15.

Having Akers back would give Los Angeles more valuable depth in the backfield.