Los Angeles Rams: 3 reasons John Kelly is already looking like a major steal

3. Kelly quickly becoming favorite for backup job

Since Gurley’s starting job at running back is going to be safe for years to come, the only impact players like Kelly or Brown are going to make for the Rams on offense is a backup role, which is completely fine. Just because a player is considered a backup doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of still making an impact for their beloved team, and with the job of Gurley’s backup arguably still open at this point, the case can be made that Kelly is working his way into becoming the favorite.

Around this time last summer, Brown was considered the clear favorite for the job after catching the eyes of Sean McVay with an impressive training camp. And even though Brown could still end receiving some playing time in 2018 when Gurley isn’t on the field, he may end up losing some time to Kelly if the rookie continues to play this well.

Brown certainly had an easier time winning the backup job last season, but the circumstances are much different this time around. All of a sudden, Brown may be fighting for his job, and end up playing catch up to Kelly if the rookie continues to play at this rate.