Rams News: Run it back for the LA Rams running game

The LA Rams running game is the foundation of McVay’s offense. But many have misjudged the team’s new players. Let’s run it back one more time

The LA Rams have relied upon running back Todd Gurley to carry the team’s rushing offense almost single-handedly under head coach Sean McVay‘s offense. He fulfilled that trust, as he was a devastatingly effective runner and receiver for the Rams, peaking in 2018 when he put up a combined 1,831 yards from the line of scrimmage, as well as 21 touchdowns. That’s pretty good work at half that production. Well, virtually half that production is what the Rams got in 2019. And it wasn’t the production that mattered as much as the incredibly burdensome contract laden with guaranteed money and poison-pill clauses.

In short, the return on investment fell. And that triggered the Rams release.

What remained was a Rams running back corps designed to support Gurley as the team’s featured back. The team had Malcolm Brown as the between-the-tackles rusher who could pound the ball inside. The team had Darrell Henderson, who could race to the perimeter and put up some yards after the catch if the Rams could get him open in space. And the team brought back John Kelly, who was a surprise demotion to the practice squad in 2019. Kelly fills the role of familiarity and insurance, the running back whose performance was promising enough to keep him on the team for future development.

That future is now. Unfortunately, there is a bit of confusion about the Rams 2020 offense. Who will handle the load? Who will provide a supporting role for the main runner? And what is the most likely depth chart for the LA Rams this year for running back?