Ben Tate To The St. Louis Rams?

The Ram fans have seen enough. We have been spoilt in the last 15 years, seeing the likes of Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk and the Rams all time rushing leader Steven Jackson. This year is a different story, as the Rams have three running backs with a total of three career starts.
Running back Daryl Richardson was one pick away from being ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in the 2012 NFL draft and was merely fighting for a roster spot going into the 2012 season. Once the 2012 preseason was over, Richardson had beat out the 2012 second round running back Isaiah Pead, for the number two running back position. At the time it was tough to determine if Richardson won the role, or Pead simply lost the role. Looking back now, it’s evident that Pead lost the job.

In the 2013 season, Daryl Richardson has 42 carries for 114 yards (avg. 2.7) and zero touchdowns. Are there any bad feelings towards Richardson? Absolutely not. We have to remember he is a second year running back, who was drafted 252nd overall, what were we expecting? The hard feelings should be towards Isaiah Pead. Richardson has shown he can hurt opposing defenses with his speed when he is a feature running back, but certainly not as a starter. Who should the Rams contact to fix their running game woes?

Texans running back Ben Tate is out of contract at the end of 2013 season. Tate is expected to move to another NFL team, as the Texans will no longer be able to afford him and he will want to find a team where he can be that number one guy. Tate is still on his rookie contract, earning around $490 000 dollars a year, this figure will obviously explode next year.

Tate has shown that he is more than capable of being the number one running back. Playing behind Arian Fosters shadow for the past three years, Tate has now proven that he is ready to be an every down back that can seriously hurt defenses. Tate has been splitting carries with Foster this year, yet he has still managed 228 rushing yards for an outstanding average of 6.7 yards per carry in only four games.
Ben Tate is measured at 5 ft 11 and 220 pounds as opposed to Daryl Richardson’s 5 ft 10 and 197 pounds. Tate’s size alone, is ideal to be that every down back. His input into the Rams offense will help quarterback Sam Bradford and also Daryl Richardson and overall he would definitely give the St. Louis Rams that spark on offense. Personally I think the Rams should heavily consider Ben Tate. He’s still young, learnt from one of the best running backs in the game (Foster) and is hungry to prove himself.

Will the Rams make some contract adjustments to lure in the talented running back or will they look into the 2014 NFL draft to fix their running game?

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