What makes RB Zach Evans so intriguing on the LA Rams roster in 2024?

If you take a look at the LA Rams running back room right now, there is one lone player who stands out. He is second-year running back Zach Evans, a player who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 202 pounds. Unless the front office makes a change by adding a different runner, he is two inches taller than any of his peers on this team. That makes him the anomaly, the one player who is different from all of the other options on this team.

The thing is, we do not know if that is a bad thing, or a good thing.

One year ago, Evans did not stand out. While the team had both 5-foot-9, 202-pound RB Kyren Williams and 5-foot-9, 192-pound RB Ronnie Rivers competing for playing time, the team also had returning 5-foot-11, 217-pound RB Cam Akers as well as 6-foot-0, 238-pound RB Royce Freeman on the roster as well. In 2023, Evans was the guy who was simply not the biggest nor the smallest running back in the room.

And as a rookie, not standing out is not a great place to be.

This season, new faces are competing for playing time and the ever-elusive roster spots. The team invested a valuable draft pick to select former Michigan RB Blake Coum with the 83rd overall pick in Round 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Corum stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 210 pounds. The team also signed veteran free agent RB Boston Scott. Scott stands just 5-foot-6 and weighs 204 pounds. Scott brings special team expertise to this team.

So Zach Evans is the odd man out, right? Well, not so fast.

While it's true that he only saw action for 16 offensive snaps that led to nine carries for 19 rushing yards, he was a rookie rusher who was a bit overwhelmed with the arrival to an NFL team, particularly as a player buried on the depth chart.

But he did manage to get some work in the 2023 preseason games. So how did he do then?

• PS Game 1: 8 carries, 34 yards, 4.3 YPC average
• PS Game 2: 8 carries, 20 yards, 2.5 YPC average
• PS Game 3: 7 carries, 23 yards, 3.3 YPC average

His 2023 preseason performance totaled 22 carries for 77 yards. with works out to a 3.5 yards per carry average. While that is not the type of numbers that screams starter, keep in mind that the team's philosophy is to only play backups in preseason game. So, Evans churned out 77 yards while running behind the offensive linemen who would serve as backups for 2023.

And just as a reminder of how well this young man can run with the football:

The team certainly has placed their bets on smaller running backs, but that does not necessarily mean that Zach Evans is on the outside looking in this season. Truth be told, there have already been reports that Evans has returned this season looking stronger, more decisive, and more powerful than ever.

And he is no longer the guy playing behind Cam Akers or Royce Freeman. He is the tallest runner on the roster right now. So, like it or not, he stands out.

The coaches have a lot of competition to sort through to determine who does and does not earn a spot on the 53-man Rams roster. While he has a steep climb to earn a roster spot, Zach Evans is back for Year 2, and he won't give up his chance without a strong fight. That is why Evans is such an intriguing player this year. He may not prove to be better than his teammates, but we are certainly going to witness his best as he competes this year.

Thanks for reading.