Rams Offseason Recon: Running Back

As we go through the offseason, I thought it would be useful to look at the position groups on the Rams and see exactly what the team has and where improvements could be made. The second installment in this Rams Offseason Recon series is the running back position. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on what I've provided and what you'd like to see the team do as we go forward with this and other position groups as those threads are made!



Focus Position: Running Back

Current Starter: Todd Gurley

Back-Ups: Malcolm Brown, John Kelly, Justin Davis

Roster Analysis: Oh boy, where to start here? What once looked like the strongest offensive unit of the team primarily due to Gurley’s dominance now has a big question mark going forward. Gurley led the league in touchdowns, and finished among the top five in yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and touches. But the workload apparently took its toll on Gurley; he sat out the final two games of the regular season, and was used sparingly (to put it mildly) through the playoffs. In fact, after Week 8 of the season, Gurley ran the ball more than twenty times only once, against Detroit. The signing and emergence of C.J. Anderson – who does not appear on the backups list above as he is currently not under contract – helped the Rams monitor and restrict Gurley’s usage as to not wear him out, but it’s clear this was a season of two halves for #30. With that in mind, where does that put him going forward? This is the last thing the Rams wanted for a number of reasons. Obviously, no one wants the centerpiece of their offense to suddenly look vulnerable, and concern for Gurley’s health are legitimate when it comes to his playing career and life after football. But from a team standpoint, the Rams just signed Gurley last summer to a near $60 million deal. If Gurley can’t regain his form, that’s a lot of money the Rams will be on the hook for over the next couple of years. Even assuming Gurley does regain his mojo, having a backup runner behind him capable of sharing some of the load and keeping Todd fresh long term will be vital, as Anderson proved late into the season. The Rams have some young players they seem to like in Brown, Kelly, and Davis, but none of them were called up to the plate when Todd was injured, as the Rams instead turned to the free agent market late in the season to find Anderson. It makes you wonder exactly what the Rams feel they have with their trio of young runners. At this point, I’m not sure any of them should be viewed as irreplaceable on this roster, though ideally you’d like to see at least one of them emerge into a capable backup who could step in when needed.

Free Agent Options: The obvious free agent option is C.J. Anderson, whom the Rams did not resign prior to the start of free agency and hasn’t really received much attention on the market. According to...

More details to come!