Running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. dealing with “soft tissue” injuries; defensive tackle Bobby Brown III has lateral ankle sprain

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. are not practicing as they deal with “soft tissue” injuries, Rams head coach Sean McVay said Monday.

“They’re not full speed,” McVay said. “And so until they’re up to full speed, we’re not going to have them practice. It’s really kind of with (Vice President, Sports Medicine & Performance) Reggie (Scott) and his group. Soft tissue things, it’s always a difficult thing because you don’t want to ever push somebody, and that’s where they’ve got to do a good job of communicating to us. But when we go, we’ve got to practice full-speed. We can’t just get out there and be three-quarters and tempo it, that’s not how we get better.

“The first goal for those guys is, let’s check the box on them, feeling like they can really open up, no restrictions.”

Asked if he would leave players like Akers and Henderson who are unable to practice behind when they travel to Cincinnati next week for joint practices and a preseason game with the Bengals, McVay said Akers and Henderson would since they’re still able to “partake in a lot of the things with Reggie and his group” and do some individual work.

“But until they’re able to be full speed in the team setting, we’re going to be smart with them,” McVay said. “You want those guys out here, but it’s allowing Kyren Williams to get reps and Jake Funk that they wouldn’t get otherwise.”

McVay also specified defensive tackle Bobby Brown III‘s ankle injury as a lateral ankle sprain.

“It will be a few weeks for him, but the good news is that it’s not anything that we anticipate requiring surgery or things like that. So it was positive.”