LA Rams RB Jake Funk just needs a reboot for the 2022 NFL Season

There were really no false hopes or exaggerated optimism when the LA Rams drafted Maryland Terrapin running back Jake Funk with the 234th pick, later in the seventh of the 2021 NFL Draft. At the time, the LA Rams already had their returning feature running back Cam Akers. The team had change-of-pace running back Darrell Henderson. And the optimism flowed towards undrafted RB Xavier Jones. Funk was, for lack of a better team, a special team specialist.

But perhaps there should be a bit more consideration of his upside than many, including myself, have afforded the young man. After all, he was buried on the team’s depth chart throughout training camp and was never really given many opportunities to grow into either role due to injuries.

While he didn’t exactly crack the lineup on either the offense or special teams, he did seem to follow the track of Darrell Henderson Jr. slightly. If you recall, Henderson was selected with the 70th overall pick, in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and his NFL debut was a bit of a meh as well. It was not until his second year, after a bit of a reboot, that Henderson found his place in the Rams’ offensive rotation.

Funk ultimately was intended to develop in a kick return role for the team, and then phase into a role with the offense as a change of pace running back. But the 5-foot-10, 205-pound rusher was placed on injured reserve in mid-October, and he never reclaimed his role nor developmental progress the rest of the way.

All Jake Funk needs is a reboot.

LA Rams roster reboot for Jake Funk

Okay, so what does that mean? Well, after debuting in his rookie season attempting to do a little of this and a bit of that, he could do with a bit more focus on which role he wants to be known for on the LA Rams roster. Whether that be an agile elusive rusher, a north-south ball carrier, or even as a return specialist on special teams, he needs to focus and develop this off-season.

All the LA Rams coaching staff can do for a player is give him tips, refine his techniques, and direct the off-season training program to strengthen those lesser developed areas that are vital to achieving in order to be a dependable contributor on the offense. The LA Rams running back rotation was more than a little chaotic, and it was that quirky nature that forced Funk to attempt to be too much in too little time.

This season, Jake Funk is a far more mature player. He’s not only trained and played for the LA Rams, but he carried the football twice in Super Bowl LVI. He has just enough experience from the 2021 NFL season to truly focus on what he needs to do in order to be a far stronger option to handle carrying the ball for the Rams offense in the 2022 NFL season.

The LA Rams have a lot of questions concerning their running game in 2022. While Jake Funk will not be the answer, he could be part of the solution to the riddle. What the Rams organization learned from 2021 is that everyone on the roster can be part of an NFL Championship team. Running It Back starts with Jake Funk as much as veteran QB Matthew Stafford.  And the potential is there for Funk to be a solid contributor in the upcoming season.