The Los Angeles Rams have made some significant changes to the backfield heading into the 2020 NFL season.
Running back Todd Gurley had long served as the focal point of the offense until the Rams opted to part ways with him in an effort to shore up some much-needed cap space. Gurley’s successors will now have some rather big shoes to fill moving forward.
Los Angeles has put an emphasis on shoring up some quality depth in the backfield in recent years by drafting running backs Darrell Henderson, John Kelly and now Cam Akers. Meanwhile, they also made sure to keep running back Malcolm Brown around on a two-year deal last offseason.
According to Gary Klein of the L.A. Times, Rams head coach Sean McVay still has yet to determine a potential pecking order:
“That’s to be determined based on how things play themselves out,” McVay said when asked how he planned to divvy up carries, “and when we get a chance to actually compete in practice and in those live opportunities.”
The Rams have been vocal about their desire to usher in a “two-headed monster” in the backfield. It has been deemed a foregone conclusion that Henderson will emerge as one of the heads after showing some promise as a rookie to the coaching staff.
The question now remains on which of the other players on the depth chart will be able to etch out an integral role for themselves this offseason. Brown would seemingly have the advantage after serving as the No. 2 option behind Gurley over the last several years and he has proven more than capable of taking advantage of his limited opportunities.
Meanwhile, Kelly has been doing all he can to stay on the active roster after spending his first two seasons bouncing back and forth from the practice squad. It is safety assume that Akers will receive his fair share of opportunities after the Rams went ahead and made him their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Of course, the prospect of McVay potentially going with a committee in the backfield is also entirely possible given all the players at his disposal. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how they ultimately go about divvying up the touches.
For now, McVay’s primary concern should be getting to work on establishing a viable run scheme after last year’s approach fell by the wayside.
