The Los Angeles Rams moved on from Todd Gurley with the plan of employing a committee approach in 2020.
Coach Sean McVay told recently that he's taking a page out of Kyle Shanahan's playbook in how he plans to approach the running back position.
"I think it'll just naturally work itself out. I think if you look at that success San Fran had last year with that running back-by-committee approach," McVay said, . "What I thought Kyle (Shanahan) and their players did a great job of is, 'Hey, we're going to have an open-mind approach, we're going to be committed to trying to have some balance and then we'll go with the hot hand or whoever really expresses himself as deserving of the carries."
In the wake of Todd Gurley's disastrous contract, the Rams' plan to ride a committee is natural. It's not wholly unlike when a person breaks up with someone and subconsciously seeks out a partner diametrically opposed to their previous companion.
McVay noted that Darrell Henderson, Malcolm Brown, John Kelly and rookie Cam Akers all have the ability to carry the load if needed.
"We feel good. We've got three guys really on our roster that have played football when you look at Darrell Henderson, John Kelly is another guy, Malcolm Brown has consistently produced in that No. 2 role behind Todd," he said. "And then Cam Akers is a guy that we're excited about. So we've got four backs that we feel like are all NFL-legitimate starting-caliber backs and not feeling like you've got to force carries or touches to any of them. Just open mind and see how these guys do."
How the carries shake out will depend on a myriad of factors, including how fast Akers picks up the offense given the lack of offseason work prior to training camp. The rookie remains the best bet to win the most substantial role, especially on early downs, but, as McVay said, all four running backs should play a part.
Henderson could be the biggest wild card of the group. He struggled as a rookie but has the talent to be a dual-threat running back if he can put it together in Year 2.
