LA Rams shocking reunion, and 3 reasons to love it

Reason III: Productive RB at a presumed affordable price

With an NFL Free Agency market that still boasts such household recognizable names at the running back position like former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, former Minnesota VIkings running back Dalvin Cook, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette, former Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt, and even former Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram, why?

Let's attack this dilemma from a purely financial focus. Sony Michel delivered 845 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the LA Rams in 2021. Kareem Hunt has only bested that twice in his career. Leonard Fournette has never done that well for the Buccaneers. Dalvin Cook can deliver better production on the football field, but at his asking price of up to $12 million per year, that's out of the LA Rams budget (and a lousy return on investment for any NFL team). Even Ezekiel Elliott can match Sony Michel's production but at somewhere between 2X to 4X the cost.

Does Sony = sustainable success?

The LA Rams know what veteran running back Sony Michel can do with the football in his hands, and they finally 'get,' that he is a bargain-priced running back with only 779 NFL rushes over the course of his career. That is far less of the wear and tear to any of the other veteran rushers on this list.

Best of all, you have to believe that the LA Rams had one eye on their finances when deliberating who to add to the roster. While we do not yet know the terms of his contract, I have to believe that it should come in at less than $3 million per year, and could be more than a one-year deal. The LA Rams are learning how to create sustainable success.

Signing RB Sony Michel is an excellent step in that direction.