Let’s refocus on the LA Rams current running backs

Problematic LA Rams rushing

The Rams benefitted from the incredible rushing performances of running back Todd Gurley in 2017 and 2018. Ultimately, Gurley’s knees gave way, and the Rams and the player parted ways. At the time, the decision made sense, but what came after has been one insurmountable problem after another.

The Rams tried to reload at the running back position three times since. Drafting RB Cam Akers lasted in 2020, but his Achilles Tendon injury disrupted his career at a critical point. The team traded for RB Sony Michel just as the 2021 NFL season began.

Michel proved to be a player who was the best and most dependable running back on the roster, but the Rams let him walk away at the end of the season. Finally, the Rams drafted another running back, Kyren Williams, a smallish running back who gets plenty of praise from the coaches, but who has yet to carry the football once.

No balance to this offense

As a result, the Rams stopped balancing this offense during the 2022 NFL Draft, as the team got smaller at RB, failed to replace a blocking tight end, and lost two starting offensive linemen, but only drafted one to replace them. And, as bad luck would have it, Logan Bruss was lost to the LA Rams before the season ever began.

But the LA Rams have faced offensive line problems in the past. In 2019, the LA Rams pivoted to using two tight end sets and discovered not only that the team could run more effectively with two tight ends, but that TE Tyler Higbee became one of the hottest NFL receivers in the month of December 2019, and the hottest he has ever been in his career. This year, despite the problems with the offensive line, and the proven solution from the past, the Rams are sticking with 11-personnel packages in this offense.