The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and less than 24 hours later, they made a surprising roster move that should pique the interest of the Rams. With the Cardinals leaning on James Conner in the run game, they released Eno Benjamin on Monday, meaning teams will have an opportunity to claim him off waivers before he’s an unrestricted free agent.
The Rams have been desperately seeking a spark in the run game this season. Los Angeles has deployed a multitude of combinations at running back to no avail, which includes the likes of Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers, Malcolm Brown, Ronnie Rivers, and Kyren Williams.
While the injuries along the offensive line certainly haven’t helped the ground game, the Rams are averaging a league-worst 68.1 rushing yards per game. And if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t exist, Los Angeles would be posting the fewest yards per attempt (3.2) in the NFL right now.
Following Sunday’s devastating loss to the Cardinals, the Rams own the eighth-worst record in the NFL, so they would have the eighth-best spot in waivers. Claiming Benjamin could be a step in the right direction as he would immediately become the No. 1 option in the backfield for the Rams.
Benjamin made three starts in relief of Conner this season, totaling 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on 36 attempts. The former seventh-round pick also caught 11 of his 15 targets for 72 yards in those three starts.
By claiming Benjamin, the Rams would take on the rest of his contract, which happens to still be his rookie contract. Benjamin’s rookie contract went through the 2023 season, so if someone were to sign him off of waivers, he’d be under contract next season.
This is an important factor for the Rams placing a claim for Benjamin as they could elect to move on from Akers this offseason and Henderson is a free agent. Considering that the reigning Super Bowl champions want to finish this season strong and produce some positives for next season, it would be wise for the Rams (assuming Benjamin wasn’t released for something serious) to consider trying to claim Benjamin off of waivers following his release from the Cardinals.