Los Angeles Rams: Malcolm Brown may end up losing No. 2 running back job

All of a sudden, Malcolm Brown has some competition for the backup running job to Todd Gurley with the Los Angeles Rams.

Around this time last year, Malcolm Brown was receiving heavy praise from new head coach Sean McVay, and was basically a lock for the No. 2 spot at running back behind Todd Gurley for the Los Angeles Rams.

Numbers wise, Brown may not have stood out when compared to other backup running backs across the league last season after rushing for just 246 yards with a touchdown on 63 carries, but also keep in mind that Gurley is a workhorse.

Translation, Gurley is the kind of player that only comes off the football field when it’s absolutely needed, and it’s going to be difficult for other running backs to see a significant amount of time on the football field each week.

Still, McVay understands the importance of making sure his team has the necessary depth at each position in case some sort of injury were to happen to one of this star players. And while Brown entered the preseason as the early favorite for the role behind Gurley, that may not be the case anymore.

After Brown saw limited action against the Baltimore Ravens with just three carries for one rushing yard, it was John Kelly (77 rushing  yards on 13 carries) and Justin Davis (41 rushing yards on seven carries) that ended up shining the most with the extended playing time.

Obviously, this was only one performance, and it would be ridiculous to even consider saying that Brown’s job is in serious jeopardy, but also it’s certainly a possibility.

When it comes to the NFL, no jobs are ever guaranteed, and if McVay decides to give more carries to everyone but Brown against the Oakland Raiders, it could make that battle for the backup running back role a lot more interesting.

Then again, Los Angeles should just be thrilled over the fact they have all these young, talented running backs to choose from since McVay could always try to throw opposing defenses off every once in a while by using Brown, Kelly, or Davis when they least expect it.

At the moment, the No. 2 job is Brown’s to lose, and he better hope to see more than just three carries come Saturday when the Rams take on the Raiders. Otherwise, it could be a stressful final two weeks of preseason for Brown over the thought of possibly slipping down the depth chart.