After dealing with a MCL injury over the last few weeks, could Malcolm Brown return to the Los Angeles Rams sooner than expected?
Thanks to the team parting ways with Benny Cunningham in the offseason, Malcolm Brown found himself with an opportunity to receive more playing time from the Los Angeles Rams during the 2017 season as a backup to Todd Gurley. And when looking at how much of an impact he’s been making dating back to the preseason, it’s safe to say Brown has been taking full advantage of the chance the Rams provided him with.
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As good as Gurley has been throughout the regular season, every star running back needs that break from time to time during games, and with his new role as the No. 2 running back, Sean McVay was quite pleased with the the production he was receiving from Brown, that is until he suffered a MCL injury. While the injury could have been much worse, not having Brown in the lineup has been a tough adjustment at times since McVay has been forced to rely on other players, like Tavon Austin, to use instead in the ground game. However, when looking at a recent report from the team site, it appears Brown’s return may end up happening sooner rather than later, which would be perfect during this final stretch for Los Angeles.
From the team site:
"But after a week of rest and rehab, McVay said, “unless there [are] any setbacks, we expect him to be available.” He also noted that running back Malcolm Brown — who suffered an MCL injury in Week 8 — may return to the field sooner than expected.“Hopefully we’ll get a better feel for Malcolm as well,” McVay said. “[But] it’s looking like he’s closer to returning, so if those guys are available then that will be a positive problem for us.”"
Obviously, the last thing McVay and the Rams would want to do is rush Brown back into action before he’s ready, but at least hearing this news is a positive sign since he seems capable of returning sooner rather than later. Until that time comes, Los Angeles hopes to see Lance Dunbar be healthy enough to fill in as a backup, beginning on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
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With only five games remaining in the 2017 season, every win Los Angeles can get moving forward is going to be extremely important since the Seattle Seahawks aren’t far behind them in the standings. As for when Brown will be able to contribute to hopefully some of those wins over the final five weeks, only time will tell for the Rams backup running back, but at least this recent news is good to hear for the offense.