4 former Rams weapons Liam Coen could target for Buccaneers in free agency
By Josh Hill
Cam Akers, RB
The most successful season of Cam Akers' career came when Liam Coen was his offensive coordinator. After getting dumped by the Rams and then suffering a season-ending injury, reuniting with Coen in Tampa Bay might be exactly what Akers needs to bounce back stronger than ever.
Akers and Coen overlapped with the Rams in 2020 but the latter was spending his time in the quarterback room. When Coen took over as offensive coordinator in 2022, Akers saw his production skyrocket as he finished the season with nearly 900 total yards and seven touchdowns.
Not for nothing, but Akers was coming off a season where he tore his Achilles tendon, putting him in an almost identical spot this year after suffering the same injury with Minnesota.
He's especially a fit with the Bucs if the team moves on from Chase Edmonds, as they're a similar build and would do sort of the same thing behind Rachaad White. The difference is there's familiarity with Coen and the system he'll be bringing with him to Tampa Bay which bodes well for Akers having a leg up and a clear path to bounce back.
One complication is that he's a restricted free agent, meaning Minnesota can match any offer he might get from Tampa Bay. The Vikings have an even more pressing running back situation to figure out, and Kevin O'Connell wanted him with the Vikings for a reason. Minnesota is one of the few teams that can counter Coen's familiarity with Akers thanks to the work O'Connell did with the running back in Los Angeles, but that might be overthinking things.
Tampa Bay will have opportunities to add running back depth in free agency, and it can do a lot worse than taking a flier on Akers.
Potential Market Value: Two-years, $8.2M
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