The Los Angeles Rams have been crushed by injuries at the running back position this preseason, but they have reportedly dodged a bullet when it comes to their new starter. During Monday's practice session, running back Darrell Henderson hurt his thumb and left practice, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Rams head coach Sean McVay immediately said he didn't know the severity of the injury, but Henderson did not return to practice. Later that night, however, the Rams announced that Henderson had sprained his thumb and did not suffer any ligament damage. His official designation is day-to-day. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Henderson is expected to be ready for the regular season.
This injury comes after running back Raymond Calais suffered a broken foot on Saturday, and of course second-year running back Cam Akers is out for the year after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon just before training camp. In fact, McVay has been holding Henderson out of preseason games in order to maintain his health.
Last year in 15 games and 11 starts, Henderson rushed for 624 yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries. The former third-round pick out of Memphis took a big step forward in his second NFL season, even though he was splitting time with Akers and Malcolm Brown. Still, he hasn't played a full 16 games in two years, so maintaining health has been an issue.
The Rams currently have three other running backs on roster with Xavier Jones and the rookies Jake Funk and Otis Anderson. Jones took only special teams snaps last season, Funk was drafted in the seventh round and then Anderson was brought on as an undrafted free agent. Thankfully, it sounds like Henderson is not expected to miss any significant time.
