LA Rams running back dilemma: The Thomas Brown affair

Reform the committee

The LA Rams proved that the running game can effectively roll with a committee, and the coaches can simply tap the hot rusher to get some yards. Now, who might that be? First and foremost, you have to expect the team to lean early on fourth-year running back Darrell Henderson. Henderson will clearly be the guy out of the gates for the Rams and was already prepping for a versatile rusher/pass receiver role for the team this season.

But Henderson’s wheelhouse is attacking the perimeter. He is the guy whose best runs were making a bee-line to the edge, turning the corner, and taking it down the near or far sideline. The Rams will need a between-the-tackles type of rusher. Our guess is that the Rams will go with Xavier Jones for that role. And we are not the only ones to think so:

The reasons for the Rams to work multiple running backs into the offense come down to not creating more of a problem in trying to fix a problem. Henderson is not a 250+ carries running back, and hopefully, the Rams recognize that fact. Ideally, he is 8-10 carries per game, which will already take him up to as many as 170 carries this year before the playoffs.

Xavier Jones is a bigger, sturdier back who uses great peripheral vision to constantly observe the field, pick his spots, hide in the shade of his blockers whenever possible, and roll down the field like a snowball rolls downhill. He only needs the opportunity, one that was impossible to get as an undrafted free agent rookie with no 2020 training camp. Now he has a full training camp, a full complement of preseason games, and a real opportunity to showcase his talents for the coaches.

The third and final piece to the Rams offensive running game could come down to Jake Funk, Raymond Calais, or Otis Anderson Jr.. We’ll know more as the Rams training camp reports start arriving, and we get to see how each player is used in relation to the 1s, 2s, or backups. Suffice it to say that Coach Thomas Brown popped his Achilles Tendon in 2020, and still coached the running backs on to a great season. There is no reason to doubt more of the same this year.