LA Rams Trey Ragas did plenty, but was it enough to make the roster?

If you were hoping for the LA Rams to add a bigger-bodied running back into their rushing rotation, then you had to be somewhat pleased by the preseason performance of running back Trey Ragas. Ragas was the running back who was added to the Rams roster after the team waived running back, Xavier Jones.

Although he was added late, the 5-foot-10, 214-pound rusher was not just a camp body, and his steady if not electrifying running for the team in preseason games was clear evidence that he is a quick learner.  But sometimes, the roster quota is met, and promising young players are unable to crack the 53-man roster.

Is that what Trey Ragas faces now?

The LA Rams seem to be content with three primary running backs Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr., and rookie Kyren Williams. But is there any interest in putting a bigger RB into the rotation? Perhaps, and perhaps not.

Does the Rams roster have room for a powerful running back?

I’m not the most objective on this topic. In my mind, the Rams rushers tend to be of the smaller and more fragile variety, and that may look great in T-shirts and shorts. But come the cooler weather of November and December? Bigger runners who run with power and authority become huge offensive weapons.

We need to go back no earlier than December 2021, when the Rams turned the running game over to 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back Sony Michel. Michel promptly delivered 423 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 89 carries for the Rams’ offense. It was that ability to run with the football that allowed the Rams to rally on defense, win five of the last six games of the season, and carry that momentum into the NFL Playoffs.

While he has yet to prove to deliver anything close to Michel, the 5-foot-10, 214-pound Trey Ragas does offer a similar physique and running style. Even more than that, he was able to showcase his ability to run with the football for the Rams in preseason games:

Week 1 @ Chargers:  4 runs for   9 yards
Week 2 Texans:           6 runs for 14 yards and 1 touchdown
Week 3 @ Bengals: 11 runs for 52 yards, 1 fumble
Totals:                          21 runs for 75 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 fumble

Perhaps I’m just stuck in the glory days of yesteryear. Perhaps the days of grounding out tough yards for a first down or a game-winning score have long since gone by the wayside. But the history of the LA Rams has featured some of the best running backs in the history of the NFL. Much of that success and bravado has been earned by tough runners who refuse to go down at the first contact with defenders.

I saw signs of that type of not-going-down running by Ragas, and I have to admit that I’m a bit addicted to it. I want to see more.

Will Ragas make the LA Rams roster? Probably not. But that does not mean that I can flip my hopes that he does. Perhaps if he makes it to the team’s practice squad, he will be activated as the season progresses. I hope so because I’m guessing that the Rams will need a guy who refuses to go down when the weather turns colder.