There has been plenty of speculation regarding how the Los Angeles Rams plan on filling the void left by running back Todd Gurley this offseason.
Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead made efforts to secure a surplus of talent in the backfield with a trio of Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers heading into the 2020 NFL season. Although both have indicated that they will be relying on a committee to replace Gurley, it remains to be seen how the pecking order is going to shake out for the opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Each running back brings their own unique edge to the Rams’ offense given their varying experience and overall skillsets. The onus will fall on the coaching staff to determine how to best utilize the weapons at their disposal.
McVay admits that nothing is set in stone heading into the season, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“Exactly how those carries are distributed, will be something that will be determined really as the week progresses and as the game unfolds,” McVay said during a Monday video conference with reporters. “I think we feel good about all those guys and however the game is going is kind of what we’ll end up getting a feel for. (Running Backs) Coach (Thomas) Brown has an excellent feel for that stuff where he’ll be able to rotate those guys accordingly.”
McVay also touched on the outlook for each player ahead of their star-studded matchup with the Cowboys:
On Malcolm Brown, “a guy that’s played a lot of games, had a lot of significant contributions over the last couple of years. I think he’s been steady and been exactly what you want for a veteran leader and a guy that we know that we can count on in a variety of different ways.”
On Akers, “continuing to get better. You know, you forget sometimes he’s a young player, but we are going to ask a lot of him. I expect those two to be ready to roll and do a great job for us.”
On Henderson, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury sustained in the team’s first preseason scrimmage, “we’re optimistic that Darrell will be ready to go as well.”
Having a bevy of options to choose from is certainly a good problem to have going into the season, especially with Henderson nursing a hamstring injury. This could open the door for the others to make the most of their potential increase in touches.
Brown boasts the most experience in McVay’s system and is all too familiar with the rigors of taking over for Gurley. Meanwhile, Akers has seemingly turned heads with his performance at training camp and he could be tasked with taking on an immediate role in the offense.
McVay’s comments indicate that the situation with each game could determine which running back gets the lion’s share of touches. Regardless, it is safe to assume that the most explosive option will ultimately prevail.
