LA Rams owe a lot to these 3 veteran additions in 2023

III: RB Royce Freeman

It's no secret that the LA Rams have favored smaller running backs in recent years. Since drafting RB Darrell Henderson Jr. in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Rams have had a least one change of pace running back on the roster, much to the chagrin of Rams fans who have lobbied for a power back. Well, in 2023, the LA Rams finally heeded the call to get a big, burly, bulldozing style of running back when the team signed 6-foot-0, 238-pound free agent veteran running back in Royce Freeman.

Unfortunately, Freeman almost never was given a bona fide chance to compete for this Rams offense.

It was not until the Rams had already traded away feature RB Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings, and then suffered injuries to both replacement running backs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers, that the Rams finally promoted Freeman to the active roster off the Rams practice squad.

Rams offense installed 4-wheel drive

But even that did not ensure Freeman would get his share of carries, or even offensive snaps. It was not until Royce Freeman began to punish defenders with his unstoppable style of running after the Rams BYE in Week 10 that has reignited the Rams offense.

In two games after the BYE, Freeman has carried the football 30 times for 150 yards and a touchdown. Unlike the fleet-footed elusive style of his teammate, Kyren Williams, Freeman knows how to run through tacklers with ease.

Just check out his touchdown run in the clip below. I could three broken tackles on his way to paydirt.

The Rams need that style of running, as the team has often found itself in need of a short-yardage style of running back, or one that can gain yards against tough and physical defenses. Freeman gives the Rams offense a new ability to shift into four-wheel drive in rough going. In doing so, Freemen enhances the Rams' entire offense.