NFL Rumors: Rams' Cam Akers on Trade Block; Out vs. 49ers on Sean McVay's Decision

Cam Akers' tumultuous tenure with the Los Angeles Rams may be coming to a close.

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the running back "who started last week, will be deactivated today, coach's decision. And other teams told me that they hear he's already on the trade block, the Rams are calling around trying to trade Cam Akers."

Akers appeared to respond to the report on social media noting his surprise:

That means Kyren Williams—who rushed 15 times for 52 yards and two scores in Week 1's 30-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks—will serve as the team's starting running back.

Akers struggled in the opening game of the season, rushing 22 times for just 29 yards, though he did find the end zone once.

It's been a bumpy road for the 24-year-old in his four seasons with the Rams after being a second-round pick at the 2020 NFL draft.

He rushed for 625 yards and two scores as a rookie, though he was excellent in the postseason that year, putting up 221 rushing yards and two scores in two games.

Disaster struck in 2021, however, as he tore his Achilles in July and only appeared in one game during the regular season. But he remarkably returned in time for the playoffs, rushing for 172 yards in four games as the team made a run to the Super Bowl and won a title.

That set high expectations for 2022, and Akers did rush for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. But things got weird in October of last year when he was inactive for two games due to what the team described as "personal reasons."

Akers reportedly wasn't happy with his role and the Rams took calls from other teams in trade talks, though nothing came to fruition and he eventually returned.

Heading into the 2023 season, it appeared fences had been mended and Akers was yet again a key figure for the team's plans. Sean McVay praised the running back in June during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire):

"He's really capitalized on a lot of the momentum he built up toward the latter part of the year. And he's going to be a huge part of what we're doing moving forward. "

"He's had a great offseason. I love the rapport that he's established with Ron Gould, our new running backs coach. Cam is going to be a central figure in this offense. I think he's priming himself to have a great year. And also, I've loved what Kyren Williams has done in that running backs room. But Cam is a stud. He's taking great care of himself physically, he's in a good place mentally. Just continuing to mature and I'm really excited about what he's going to do for us this year."

Three months later, the vibes between McVay and Akers appear to have soured. Given the history between the running back and the organization, it doesn't come as a major surprise.