Adrian Peterson could be Los Angeles Rams answer at running back

After losing Cam Akers to an Achilles tear, the Los Angeles Rams might want to kick the tires on veteran running back Adrian Peterson

Even before the Los Angeles Rams could officially kick off their training camp, they were dealt a devastating loss. Second-year running back Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles which ended his campaign before it even began.

It’s a tough blow for any player, but Akers was primed for a breakout after a strong finish to the 2020 campaign that included a 171-yard outing in Week 14 and 221 yards in two playoff games. Now with Akers out, the Rams need to try and figure out what to do to replace their starting running back, and they could elect to go with a big-name free agent in Adrian Peterson.

Peterson, who once looked ready to overthrow Emmitt Smith as the top yardage carrier in NBFL history, is now fifth all-time with 14,820 yards on the ground and has Barry Sanders’ 15,269 in his sights. And despite being 36-years old, he plans on continuing to play which could propel him further up that leaderboard.

But a move to Los Angeles doesn’t just make sense for Peterson since he would get plenty of touches. It also would be a solid move for the Rams.

Despite his age, Peterson ran for 604 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Detroit Lions as he was a teammate of new L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford. Peterson’s yards per rush was just under four-yeard per carry at 3.9 but his ability to get into the end zone remained impressive and he’s shown that despite his age, he can be a workhorse still.

He won’t have the burst of someone such as Akers but Peterson is a smart veteran who could come in and learn the offense in a hurry and help keep the Rams offense on track.