3 LA Rams running backs are racing for their NFL lives

In 2020, the LA Rams offense seemed fairly straightforward in terms of the depth chart at the running back position. The team welcomed back veteran running backs Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson and then led off the 2020 NFL Draft by selecting running back Cam Akers out of Florida State.

Three roster spots filled by three players. Neat and tidy, just the way everyone likes it. Ah, but the Rams had some fierce competition for some of the final few roster spots. In the end, the LA Rams liked the fiercely competitive running of SMU running back Xavier Jones. So he landed a roster spot.

The team also loved the speed and special team potential of Southwestern Louisianna’s Raymond Calais, so when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived him with the intention of stashing him on their practice squad, the Rams swooped in and signed him to a roster spot.

In 2020, the LA Rams carried five running backs.

Ch…ch…ch…Changes. Turn to face the strange

By season’s end, the Rams said farewell to Brown, a long-time teammate of running back Todd Gurley. But by stockpiling three running back additions to the 2020 roster, the Rams were already well prepared to promote either Jones or Calais to a rotational role. It was a simple formula.

Los Angeles Rams

You see, the Rams did not typically carry more than three running backs prior to 2020. In 2018, the Rams made an exception by entering the season with RBs Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown, John Kelly, and Justin Davis.  Entering 2021, not one of those running backs is an option.

Instead, the 2021 season running back options include Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais, and now, Maryland rookie running back Jake Funk.   It’s a safe bet to conclude that Akers and Henderson are safe to make the roster for 2021. That leaves the remaining three to face the possibility of getting cut.

Message received

They aren’t just tuning up this off-season. Three LA Rams running backs are literally racing for their NFL lives. If the Rams roster features more wide receivers to give the offense more weapons, those extra roster spots will need to come from somewhere. With the historic pattern of going with three running backs established that means that the Rams will give strong consideration to going lighter with rushers.

The bad news for Xavier Jones and Raymond Calais? The Rams knew that both running backs were waiting in the wings and were poised to step up for the 2021 NFL season and draft Jake Funk anyways. Neither player was given a chance to contribute to the offense in 2020. Has that window closed to them already?

Well, Funk is a pretty attractive player to add to the Rams roster. He has the power and size of Jones, standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 205-pounds. He also has impressive speed, posting a 4.49-second 40-yard dash time that rivals that of Calais, who posted a 4.42-second 40-time. Of course, Funk is an inbound rookie with no proven track record, and that means that the LA Rams do not know him and he does not know the LA Rams playbook, coaches, or players.

Gentlemen, start your engines

This is not a friendly competition at the running back position this year. This is fierce competition. Three LA Rams running backs may be in a dead heat for one roster spot. That’s a tough situation to face as a running back who by all accounts should be happy to have made it to the team in 2020, and should now be looking to contribute in a greater role.

Instead, three running backs will need to be in top form, running in the best shape of their lives, simply to maintain their spot on a team that has changed their offensive philosophy.  After all, this is the NFL, the Not-For-Long football league, and three running backs are facing justifying their presence on the team’s roster.

Yes, the Rams could carry five running backs into 2021. But will they? The Rams defense struggled with just three inside linebackers in 2020. The secondary carried just four cornerbacks, because the team’s top-three in Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, and Troy Hill were versatile enough to handle most of the defensive snaps. Hill is gone. The Rams will need to carry more inside linebackers this year. And then there is the expectation of carrying more than the standard complement of six receivers to man the Rams’ 2021 version of a more explosive offense.

How many running backs will the Rams roster carry in 2021? Any number greater than three will be a mild surprise. So Raymond Calais, Xavier Jones, and rookie Jake Funk had better show up in the best shape of their lives. It could be that the Rams will keep all three. But they need to compete throughout this offseason with the belief that all three running backs are fighting for one roster slot.