Darrell Henderson still hasn't had 'much of a chance' in preseason

[Riverumbbq]

By: Cameron DaSilva | 3 hours ago


Few Rams players entered the preseason with more hype and anticipation surrounding him than Darrell Henderson. The rookie running back from Memphis, who Los Angeles drafted in the third round, was expected to flash his big-play ability and stand out in the first two exhibition games.

He’s hardly done that, rushing for only 29 yards on 12 carries with a long of 8 yards. He did have a nice 26-yard reception against the Cowboys on Saturday, but his other six catches this preseason have gone for a total of 7 yards.

It’s not all Henderson’s fault, though. The offensive line hasn’t created much running room for Henderson (or any of the running backs), which has limited the rookie’s opportunities.

“I think really just more opportunities than anything else. You could see he was another week more comfortable,” McVay said of Henderson on Sunday. “There’s still some things that we can definitely do better. I don’t think he’s really had much of a chance with the exception of a couple runs that he had starting off really with the two-minute drive when he had a couple wide-zone runs and then another downhill, direct run. Other than that in the run-game, there really wasn’t any space to operate with to really be able to truly evaluate him from that perspective.”

Henderson isn’t fighting for a roster spot, but he is competing for snaps in the backfield. Malcolm Brown is the clear-cut No. 2 running back after getting the veteran treatment this preseason – he hasn’t played a snap – but Henderson should be third in the pecking order.

His touches will come in different ways than Brown’s will, too, contributing as a receiver often.

“I thought he caught the ball well. You could see, that was a big third-down catch he made on that first drive. You see the speed out of the backfield. That’s some big-time players, when you’ve got Jaylon Smith covering him and he’s able to do that even if he and (Leighton) Vander Esch did kind of collide, you could see coming out of the backfield, Blake (Bortles) delivered him a good ball. I thought it was a step in the right direction for Darrell, without a doubt.”

Henderson should continue to get touches in the next two preseason games as the Rams try to evaluate him further. Running room could be tough to come by on Saturday night against the Broncos, who are expected to play their starters once again.

Unless the offensive line takes a big step forward, Henderson’s numbers might be underwhelming.

Darrell Henderson still hasn't had 'much of a chance' in preseason

Few Rams players entered the preseason with more hype and anticipation surrounding him than Darrell Henderson. The rookie running back from Memphis, who Los Angeles drafted in the third round, was expected to flash his big-play ability and stand out in the first two…

theramswire.usatoday.com

 

[ReekofRams]

Would someone please explain to Mr DaSilva that preseason football is not about numbers, but rather about each person practicing and putting to use in live time what they have been taught during training camp. If there are numbers on top of that, great. But numbers are not the purpose for preseason football.

 

[Ram65]

Very little blocking with the #2s. At least Henderson is getting reps and a feel for the NFL. I'm sure they are coaching him up too. Wait till he gets a hole from the #1s. He has shown very good hands.

 

[Merlin]

I don't think they're too worried about Henderson, I mean there isn't any reason to be to my eye at least. They're obviously hell bent on settling the OL depth roles, even if it affects other areas. Kinda sucks but it is what it is. Hope they slow that OL stuff a bit so they can get a better look at the skill guys in game 3 vs Denver.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I've liked what he's shown so far. The quickness is there, catching the ball seems easy and natural to him, he's shown he can dive/grind through and grab some tough yards when it comes down to it. The speed and angles of the pursuit by the D is much better than in college, so it's about as expected. I just need to see one play where a block is made downfield, to see if he outruns everybody or not once he gets free.