LA Rams now have multiple power-back options for 2021 roster

The LA Rams have not embraced the role of fullback as some teams have. Even with the possible solutions to some of the Rams offensive challenges, there is no indication that the Rams have given serious consideration to adding a bigger running back to hit the hole first, block whoever is in the way, and allow the smaller and faster running backs to get to the next level unencumbered.

But right now, the Rams shopping spree for offensive weapons has transformed the inevitable decisions for the 53-man roster into a bit of a nightmare. How can the team possibly sort through everyone in time to have the right players on the active roster? Now, there’s the rub, isn’t it?

No doubt the decisions will be heavily weighted by the input of Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis. And special teams performance is not something anyone can project now. But there are other levers that players can pull to improve their chances of making the roster.  One such role is an ability to demonstrate position-flex to a power-back role.

H-Back or Y-back

This was a role that the Rams used TE Gerald Everett, a role where he would line up at the H-back or Y-back positions and become a blocker or receiver based upon that particular play design. Now the question is, who can fulfill that role for the offense this year?

The LA Rams can use the tight end to lead block in the H-back configuration shown here:

Of course, there are other uses for the H-back, such as this slice action where he rushes behind the offensive line to block on the opposite side.

So now, the only question is, who will the Rams feature in this role? Well, thanks to a shopping spree of weapons, the Rams have plenty of options.

Four horsemen

Of course, the first stop is the veteran tight end, Johnny Mundt. He is the 6-foot-4 233-pound blocking tight end for the Rams named Johnny Mundt, and he has a very impressive body of work in that role in the past. It was Mundt who teamed up with TE Tyler Higbee that unloaded Higbee’s 522 yards performance in December 2019. Can he do it again? Well, the Rams have certainly run towards that goal with their off-season roster moves.

Next up in our search for an offensive utility player is the 5-foot-10 205-pound running back out of Maryland named Jake Funk. He is an amazingly athletic young man who is an ace on coverage units. So the option to get him involved with the offense may be motivated by trying to get him onto the 53-man roster. He may not be as big as the other options, but he is fiercely competitive and wants to contribute to the roster any way he can. He also adds the running option, as he is capable of taking it the house by running with the ball himself as a change of pace.

The next option is the 6-foot-3 211-pound wide receiver out of Notre Dame named Ben Skowronek. While Skowronek is considered a receiver, he is tough as nails in contest catches, is another ace on special teams, can block as effectively as a tight end and possesses incredible athleticism. He may also carve a roster spot for himself with his special team’s play, but he will need to have more to keep a roster spot.

At the 6:50 mark, McVay is asked about lining up Ben Skowronek as a fullback and responds without pause that Ben Skowronek has been in a three-point stance more often than Harris has.

Last but not least on this list is the 6-foot-5 219-pound tight end out of the Unversity of Central Florida named Jacob Harris. Harris is another of the freakishly athletic rookies that the Rams were so keen to add to the roster. At his height, he adds another huge target to the mix for quarterback Matthew Stafford. He was also considered as one of the best special team prospects in the draft. The trouble is that he’s only played football for two years, and so he is very raw and inexperienced. But much like tight end Brycen Hopkins from 2020, the Rams won’t assign him to the practice squad out of fear of losing him to another NFL team.

The LA Rams will have some options at the power-back role this year. Let’s hope that the Rams like one of these players. Any of the four is better than none.