Rams reunite with former Super Bowl champion RB

Aug 19, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football set before the game against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams’ current running back emergency has them circling back to an old mate.

The Rams announced Tuesday that they have reunited with veteran back Darrell Henderson. The former third-round pick will be joining the team’s practice squad while fellow RB Royce Freeman, who was already on the Rams’ practice squad, is elevated to the active roster.

At 3-3 on the season, the Rams are dealing with a short-term crisis at the running back spot. Starter Kyren Williams suffered an ankle injury in Week 6 that is expected to sideline him for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (though it is not believed to be a long-term injury). Meanwhile, his backup Ronnie Rivers was also injured in Week 6 and could now miss four-to-five weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 3 PCL sprain. Cam Akers is obviously no longer on the team (having been traded to Minnesota), so that leaves just Freeman and 22-year-old rookie RB Zach Evans to carry the load on Sunday.

More would have to go wrong for Henderson to actually see a call-up to the active roster. But the 26-year-old was already with the Rams from 2019-22 (including as a leading rusher on their Super Bowl LVI-winning team). He knows their offense well, and the Rams bringing Henderson back maintains an equilibrium of sorts after they recently traded away another player from that Super Bowl squad.