LA Rams rushing revisions post Darrell Henderson injury
By Bret Stuter
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Revised projections
So where does that leave the Rams now? Well, to project into the unknown, we must first ground ourselves in the known and see where all of that might lead us.
Los Angeles Rams
For starters, I think it wise to reduce the number of carries for Henderson. Why? Well if the Rams have already gotten a banged-up rusher before the season starts, they’ll be fighting plenty of downtime for the guy when the season really starts.
On top of all that, it appears that the role for Xavier Jones will be a bit like that of Malcolm Brown, a blend of rushing and receiving, while the role of rookie Jake Funk appears to be a bit more focused on running with the ball.
Finally, there is the small matter of the team adding another running back, and what type of rusher that may be? Who might be available at the final roster cuts?
What we do know is that the Rams will be bargain shopping. That means that whomever the Rams claim will be a 2020 or 2021 running back who was drafted on day three. He will have good upside and will likely be a player who the original team fully intends to sign to the practice squad if and when the player clears waivers.
Sean McVay says the Rams haven't decided whether to sign a new RB or ride with Xavier Jones & Jake Funk as backups with Akers & Calais out: "We're still in the process of figuring all that out. We've got a little bit of time. I was pleased with both of those guys (last weekend)." pic.twitter.com/CHGr86kyrY
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) August 24, 2021
These comments from LA Rams head coach Sean McVay and other developing events point to the Rams claiming a running back off the waiver wire at the end of the month. So that all translates
Player Carries Yards TDs
Jones 130 461 6
Henderson 120 504 5
Funk 100 460 4
New RB 100 400 4
While these numbers pull off about 400 yards rushing and two TDs, they feel much more realistic given what we know about the team’s ability to run with the ball right now.