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

2. Kelly took advantage of Davis injury

This time of year can be difficult sometimes for players battling for a roster spot when they suffer an injury that prevents them from playing in a preseason game, which was unfortunately the case for Justin Davis on Saturday. After a solid outing in Week 1 of the preseason by rushing for 41 yards on seven carries in a battle with the Ravens, Davis was hoping to pick up where he left off for the team’s recent meeting with the Raiders.

Last offseason, Los Angeles signed Davis as an undrafted rookie free agent, and even though he only received one rushing attempt during the regular season, early signs pointed to the youngster making a case for more playing time during his sophomore campaign. Rams fans were excited to see what kind of impact Davis would make during his follow up performance from the first preseason game, but unfortunately a hamstring injury prevented him from taking the field against the Raiders.

As a result, Kelly ended up receiving more carries than usual after rushing for 56 yards with a touchdown on 18 carries. Running backs in the preseason don’t tend to see this many carries in a preseason matchup, but it’s clear McVay wanted to see more of Kelly to get a better idea if he should be the backup running back to Gurley.