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No position group on the Rams’ roster has suffered more injuries than running back this summer. Cam Akers tore his Achilles, Raymond Calais fractured his foot and now Xavier Jones needs surgery to repair an Achilles injury of his own.
Darrell Henderson Jr. has had his share of minor injuries, too, all leading to the Rams acquiring Sony Michel in a trade with the Patriots. He adds much-needed depth at the position and is one of three running backs on the roster, with Henderson and Jake Funk being the others.
Michel’s role hasn’t been clearly defined, but he’s still getting up to speed with his new team after the trade went down just last week. Matthew Stafford is still getting acclimated himself after joining the Rams this offseason, too, but he’s going to help Michel any way he can.
“He’s just an experienced back. He has played in big-time football in college, big-time football in the pros, played in huge games,” Stafford said Tuesday. “He’s an experienced guy. He understands what it takes to perform at a high level, in the NFL. So, I’m excited to have him. He has got a lot to learn. He knows that, and then I’m going to do everything I can to work with him – whether it’s extra meetings or whatever – just to try to get him up to speed so he can be somebody that helps us out on game day.”
Michel will probably start the season as the Rams’ No. 2 running back until he has a firm grasp of the offense. Henderson should get the bulk of the carries early on, but the Rams didn’t trade two picks for Michel just to have him sit on the bench.
He’ll carve out a role as a between-the-tackles runner and possibly a red zone back, given his physicality and ability to get into the end zone.
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