Andrew Whitworth excited about ‘special athlete’ Darrell Henderson...

Andrew Whitworth excited about Darrell Henderson: 'He's a special athlete'

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

After cutting Todd Gurley, the Los Angeles Rams will have a new starting running back in 2020. The draft is always an avenue for finding talented backs at cheap prices, and the free-agent market still features names such as Devonta Freeman and Carlos Hyde.

The most likely replacement for Gurley is already on the roster, though. The Rams spent a third-round pick on Darrell Henderson last year, even trading up for the Memphis product. His opportunities were limited as a rookie in 2019, carrying it just 39 times for 147 yards, but his role will grow exponentially next season.

Andrew Whitworth is excited about Henderson’s potential in the Rams’ offense, calling him a “special athlete.”

“He’s quick. When he puts his foot in the ground and goes, you can see it. A couple games there throughout the season, he got some opportunities and when he touched the football, he looked like lightning in a bottle,” Whitworth said. “It’s one of those things where as a young player, he’s going to learn things over his career and right now, it’s taking care of his body and how he can be in the best shape possible and how he can get through a season. that’s always a tough season for running backs, of course. So the more availability he has for us, I think we look forward to it because he’s a special athlete and somebody who can really help us.”

Because Henderson already has a year in the Rams’ system and showed a level of explosiveness that even exceeded Gurley’s last season, he has the clearest path to a starting job than any other running backs available right now. Los Angeles drafted him with the intention of using him as a change-of-pace back – Les Snead even thought he’d give the Rams a “Kamara element” – but he was always viewed as a potential replacement for Gurley if Todd’s knee couldn’t hold up.

Henderson still has work to do before he becomes a top running back in the NFL, but his speed, power and vision make him an impactful player for the Rams next season.