LA Rams: 4 rookies who need to shine most in training camp

Won’t you take me to, Funky Town?

No matter how else you look at it, the LA Rams’ latest addition at the running back position, former Maryland rusher Jake Funk, has one of the best NFL names out there.  The list of hot song titles with the word ‘Funk’ in them makes it almost imperative that this guy makes the roster just for the rare chance that he scores a touchdown and SoFi Stadium is electrified with a hot rendition of Bring the Funk or Won’t you take me to Funky Town? over the sound system. (Yeah, I went there).

After all, SoFi Stadium is the crown jewel of the NFL for football stadiums. Why not set it up to be the spot for the hottest jams during a football game as well? All that needs to happen is for those tunes to swell the stadium is for the former Terrapin to make the team and score. Sounds easy, right? Well, that’s where the hard part comes in.

The LA Rams lost veteran running back Malcolm Brown but already had both Xavier Jones and Raymond Calais waiting in the wings for a chance at some offensive snaps. Funk, as talented and fast as he is, must compete in a room of five running backs to earn playing time. To make it tougher, the Rams have already anointed second-year running back Cam Akers as the feature back. That translates into fewer carries for the four remaining rushers.

Of course, the 5-foot-10 205-pound running back has more to offer than an occasional running play. He has a solid track record of performing well on special teams, both in the return game and in coverage. In fact, his draft profile calls him a ‘cover demon’ and that pretty much describes the way he flies around all over the field.  He will need to show up in the highlight reels in preseason games and raise some eyebrows among the coaching staff and teammates to get a shot this year.