We all woke up today hoping Cam Akers’ Achilles tear was just a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and we are now on to Darrell Henderson szn.
With a blah free agency class headlined by a bunch of washed-up running backs, such as Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, and Frank Gore, Sean McVay told ESPN Radio, “I don’t know that veteran route is something we’ll rule out, but it’s not something we’re looking at right now.”
Instead, McVay will head into camp with Henderson listed as the team’s three-down workhorse, followed by 2020 undrafted free agent Xavier Jones, 2021 seventh-round pick Jake Funk, and former Bucs’ practice squad RB Raymond Calais.
Considering the latter three combine for a whopping zero career NFL carries, the names don’t jump off the page. But, Jones and Funk are two players who could be intriguing fantasy stashes if they ball out during training camp and if McVay stays away from veteran free agents.
XAVIER JONES
Xavier Jones was not invited to the 2020 NFL Combine and went undrafted, which was extremely surprising because he held the 2019 NCAA scoring title. Hailing from SMU, Jones set the school record for touchdowns in a season (25), rushing touchdowns in a season (23), points in a season (150), and tied Eric Dickerson for the school’s career touchdown mark (48) — not a big deal.
At the end of 2019, he lost out to Jonathan Taylor for the Doak Walker Award after amassing 1,276 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns.
Spent the day watching RBs w/o combine invitation. Best of the bunch? SMU RB Xavier Jones.
5’11 208 (no pro day)
Excellent vision, balance and toughness. Lacks elite top speed. Reliable in pass game. pic.twitter.com/V69oCANqun— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 13, 2020
As a rookie, Jones quickly caught the attention of his coaches and teammates (especially Aaron Donald) during camp.
“If the Rams don’t sign a veteran/depth player through training camp, my sense is that it actually points strongly toward their faith in Jones, the former UDFA who drew praise from teammates throughout last year’s camp and stuck on the 53-man roster,” The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrique said. “Jones may quietly be one of the Rams’ better assets this fall, depending on Henderson’s health and the Rams’ ultimate depth at the position.”
As noted above, Jones might not be a burner in a straight line, but he has a knack for finding the end zone and has a variety of traits that make him an attractive sleeper behind Henderson, such as his quickness, power, creativity, and passing game chops (71 career receptions).
Jones could at least be in line for goal-line work and the RB2 job with Akers done for the season.
JAKE FUNK
Jake Funk is a throwback player who is consistently one of the best athletes on the field. Whether it’s as a running back (7.2 career collegiate ypc) or on special teams (30 tackles), Funk makes plays.
The former Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year (2,866 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns as a senior) played college ball locally at Maryland but tore his left ACL in back-to-back seasons. After recovering in time for the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he racked up 516 rushing yards on only 60 carries (FBS second-best 8.6 ypc) in only four games.
Jake Funk
– 83.8 SPORQ Score, 5th-best in class
– 13th-best 3-cone (6.71) since 2000, 15th-best if weight-adjusted
– averaged 118.8 YFS per game on just 14.0 touches per game in 2021 https://t.co/HBnrTsPqWb— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) July 20, 2021
After being selected by the Rams in the 2021 seventh round, Funk impressed McVay during OTAs and the offseason program.
“He’s a mature rookie. I think he’s really taken to (RBs coach) Thomas Brown. What a great job Thomas does as a coach really helping these guys grow,” McVay said. “And because you get a little bit of extra time with rookies with some of the meetings and some of the things we added over the months these guys have been with us, you’ve really seen his growth, his comfort level (rise).”
Funk will have to stay healthy and prove his worth during the preseason that he’s more than just a stud special teams player. But, his standout special teams play should guarantee him a roster spot, which is the first step toward making an impact as a running back.
Preseason Week 1.
Who are you most excited to see take the field?
Hello, @jakefunk34. pic.twitter.com/cNm6vSCUzU
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) July 20, 2021
With the Akers injury, look for Henderson to make a significant leap up The Wolf’s 2021 Fantasy Rankings & Big Board. Meanwhile, expect Jones or Funk to make an appearance during camp.
