5 LA Rams players who won’t be back for the 2020 season

Running back Malcolm Brown

The LA Rams have counted on backup running back Malcolm Brown for several years. And he has answered the call to step up and take snaps for the team whenever needed. In 2019, he started the season as though he was destined to finally have a breakout season.  He scored two touchdowns in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers, more than his entire NFL career up to that point.

But the moment passed. Brown fell to injury, and upon his return fell back into the same old seldom-used pattern which has been the LA Rams trademark since 2016.  Brown is a relatively inexpensive player at just $1.1 million. Still, if the Rams won’t give Brown touches, that’s just salary cap money yielding next to nothing for the team.

We dove into Brown’s draft profile and discovered some curious facts. Brown is neither the fastest nor the strongest running back. He succeeds when he is given the chance to punish defenders and wear them down over the span of the first three quarters. In that way, when the fourth quarter arrives, he seems much faster and more powerful and can get his 100 yards rushing in the game.

That won’t happen while he plays on the  LA Rams.  So we believe it makes complete sense for both the player and the Rams to trade him to a team willing to allow him to compete for touches.  While this could net the Rams a 2021 NFL Draft pick, likely in the sixth or seventh round, that would add to the light quiver of picks the team currently has.