PFF cites Rams group among the Top 5 of NFC and here's why they got it right

Amidst all of the off-season and pre-season bluster, Pro Football Focus churns more rankings of teams, units, and players than any other NFL website. In many cases, the pieces are casual observations, the type of stuff that have less objective assessment and logical facts, and more subjective conjecture and ties to the past than a current ranking should. But even as a broken clock is correct twice a day, Pro Football Focus does occasionally get their rankings correct.

When the team created their latest Top-5 NFC running back unit projections for the 2024 NFL season, it seems that they got it right. Call me surprised.

Of the 16 teams in the NFC, PFF has named the running back groups from the following teams as among the Top-5 for 2024 in no particular order:

• San Francisco 49ers
• Detroit Lions
• Los Angeles Rams
• Atlanta Falcons
• Philadelphia Eagles

And I have to say that they seem to have gotten this one right.

So how can the Rams running backs, a group that has arguably been in shambles since the team parted ways with elite RB Todd Gurley, appear among the top five running back groups in the NFC? Well, the team has not simply sat back and hoped for the best. Despite inconsistent results, the front office has continued to invest into the position. Now, after several years, those efforts appear to have taken root.

While the team found only limited success with running backs Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers, and Sony Mitchell, there is hope that the offense has finally found a true fit in the form of Kyren Williams. But even one running back, no matter how effective in one season, does not make a top-tier running back room. So there must be more to it. Such as . . .