Tag: Sony Michel

Whether on offense or special teams, Sony Michel willing help wherever Rams need it

Whether it’s on offense or special teams, Sony Michel is willing to do anything to help the Rams this year

Sony Michel was a big part of the Rams’ Super Bowl run in 2021, even if he didn’t get the recognition Sean McVay thinks he deserves.

“I think he was as key and critical to what we did in ‘21 and probably didn’t get the recognition especially when you think about how instrumental he was in the month of December when we really leaned on him and he was averaging about over a hundred (yards) a game,” McVay said.

After a year away from the Rams in 2022, the veteran running back has returned to the team he helped win a championship. The Rams signed him this offseason, adding him to a depth chart that also features Cam Akers, Kyren Williams and Zach Evans.

Whether Michel even makes the 53-man roster remains to be seen, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Los Angeles this year. Whether it’s on offense or special teams, Michel is just looking to make an impact somewhere for the Rams.

“I was just thankful for the opportunity,” Michel told TheRams.com this week. “Right now, I’m trying to take advantage of it. Just trying to maximize every opportunity I get, no matter where it’s at, (whether that’s) offense, special teams. Whatever I can do to one, earn a spot on this team, and two, potentially help this team win some football games.”

Michel played 10 games with the Chargers last season, but he only got 36 carries and finished with 106 yards. It was by no means the season he expected to have after rushing for 845 yards with the Rams in 2021, but McVay still sees value in having him on the team.

“His professionalism, his toughness, his ability to be able to compete in both phases and then I think he is a great complement,” McVay said. “He understands the standards and I think when you have some guys that are good complements to the players that you already have in that room and then somebody that you are familiar with, that was a great opportunity for us to be able to bring him back and excited for Sony and glad to have him back around.”

Michel is best between the tackles and along the goal line, which as McVay said, makes him a nice complement to the slashing style of Akers and the third-down ability of Kyren Williams. And in such a young running back room with no one over the age of 24, the 28-year-old Michel can absolutely bring some leadership value to the team.

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Remembering Sony Michel’s flipping good block against the Bucs in 2021

Remember this incredible block by Sony Michel in 2021? We sure do.

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Sony Michel may not be a starting-caliber running back anymore, but he still knows how to block and that’s a valuable trait in obvious passing situations.

Michel, who the Rams brought back this week, laid one of the best blocks of the 2021 season during his first stint in Los Angeles. Considering it was almost two years ago, it’s easy to forget just how good it was, but we’re here to remind you of it.

During the Rams’ Week 3 win over the Buccaneers, Michel flipped a blitzing Ross Cockrell on his back with a late blitz pickup, preventing the DB from getting to Matthew Stafford just as he was releasing the ball.

You can see Michel quickly recognize that Cockrell was rushing off the right side, so he sprinted over and hit him low, which sent him flipping into the air.

This angle in slow-motion might be even better, showing just how good a block it was.

Michel has always been good in pass protection throughout his career. In each of the last four years, Michel finished with a pass-blocking grade between 66.1 and 82.5, according to Pro Football Focus. The only year he was below 66.1 was as a rookie in 2018 when he had a grade of 60.0.

Between Michel and Kyren Williams, the Rams now have two quality pass-blocking running backs on their roster.

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How does Sony Michel impact the Rams’ backfield?

Sony Michel is surprisingly back with the Rams. Will he just be a camp body or will he compete for a meaningful role in LA?

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Fairly unexpectedly, the Los Angeles Rams made an addition to their running back room this week. They signed a familiar name, bringing back veteran RB Sony Michel.

The Rams had four running backs on the roster already, led by Cam Akers and Kyren Williams, which is why the decision to sign Michel came as a surprise. Michel brings plenty of experience to the position, having played five years in the NFL and started 35 games in his career, but he’s not exactly an explosive back or change-of-pace guy.

Instead, he’s a physical, between-the-tackles runner who can pick up the tough yards on third down and near the goal line – as he did several times near the end of his first Rams tenure.

Where exactly he slots into the depth chart is unclear. Michel is coming off a season in which he played 10 games for the Chargers and had just 106 yards on 36 carries. That’s an average of 2.9 yards per carry, the lowest of his career and well below his average of 4.2 across his five seasons.

He’s certainly not going to unseat Akers as the starter, and it’s hard to imagine him even beating out Williams as the No. 2 option. What’s most likely to happen is he’ll compete with Ronnie Rivers for the fourth spot behind Akers, Williams and rookie Zach Evans.

The Rams liked Evans enough to trade up 37 spots to select him, so it’s really hard to imagine him being cut, even though he’s only a sixth-round rookie. Williams was a standout in OTAs and minicamp and Akers still appears to be the starter.

Perhaps the Rams were simply looking for another camp body and someone with enough experience to help the younger backs on the roster. And he probably brings more to the table as the fourth running back than Rivers, given his physical running style and nose for the end zone.

It’s very possible that Michel won’t even make the 53-man roster. We don’t know the details of his contract with Los Angeles, but unless there’s a lot of guaranteed money on it, he’s absolutely a cut candidate.

The Rams absolutely don’t need five running backs on the roster, so that should be out of the question, which likely leaves Michel and Rivers competing for the final spot on the depth chart.

From a fantasy perspective, this move shouldn’t have much of an impact on Akers at all. It could potentially hurt his goal line work if the Rams are concerned about Akers’ ball security, but Michel isn’t going to overtake Akers as the starter.

This is just a way to add some experience and depth to a position that only had four players heading into training camp.

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Former Dolphins RB signs with Los Angeles Rams

He spent training camp with Miami last year.

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While all 32 teams are away from their facilities until training camp begins in late July, that doesn’t mean that front offices aren’t still making moves to try to improve their rosters.

On Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire, former Miami Dolphins running back Sony Michel agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Rams.

Michel was originally a first-round selection of the New England Patriots in 2018 and spent three years with Bill Belichick’s team, winning a Super Bowl. He was then traded to the Rams in 2021, where he helped the team win his second Super Bowl.

Miami signed Michel last offseason, and he participated in all three preseason games for the Dolphins, rushing for 13 yards and a touchdown on 1.4 yards per attempt.

After being cut before the start of the regular season, Michel signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he played in 10 games in 2022.

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Los Angeles Rams sign former Georgia RB Sony Michel

Sony Michel is returning to Los Angeles

Former Georgia Bulldogs standout running back Sony Michel is returning to the Los Angeles Rams.

Sony Michel is coming off a down year with the Los Angeles Chargers. Michel recorded a career-low 36 carries for 106 rushing yards last season.

Sony Michel is Georgia’s third all-time leading rusher with 3,638 yards. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back will compete for a roster spot with Los Angeles running backs Cam Akers, Zach Evans, and Kyren Williams.

Michel is a two-time Super Bowl champion. The former 2018 first-round draft pick played three seasons for the New England Patriots and played in 2021 with the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

In 2021, Sony Michel recorded 208 carries for 845 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Rams. Los Angeles would love to see a healthy Sony Michel produce at that level in 2023.

The Rams announced that they were signing Sony Michel via Twitter:

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Rams reunite with veteran running back Sony Michel

The Rams have reunited with veteran Sony Michel, adding more experience to their running back room.

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Veteran running back Sony Michel spent last season on the other Los Angeles team, but it appears that he’s making his way back to the Los Angeles Rams. In an announcement by the team’s official Twitter account, the Rams are bringing back Michel.

The Rams traded for Michel before the 2021 season, giving the former first-round pick a chance to have a fresh start. The Georgia product would be active in all 17 games for the Rams in 2021 and would lead the team in rushing with 845 yards and four touchdowns on 208 carries.

Despite seeing his role decrease in the Rams’ postseason run, he was part of the Super Bowl squad. After having a solid campaign in 2021, he would sign with the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the 2022 season where he was limited to 106 yards on 36 carries.

With training camp on the horizon, the Rams have seemed confident in their running back room which consists of Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, rookie Zach Evans, and Ronnie Rivers. The addition of Michel provides the Rams with more experience in their backfield and it could take them out of contention of signing other veterans like Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette.

Chargers’ 2022 season in review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ running backs

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler had a remarkable 2022 season.

In the modern pass-first NFL, a solid running game is something of a novelty, but the Los Angeles Chargers proved in 2022 that a throwback run-and-shoot strategy can still work. Quarterback Justin Herbert has lifted Los Angeles to new heights with his work in the passing game, but veteran running back Austin Ekeler’s effort on the ground helped immensely in the Chargers’ fight for a playoff spot.

Ekeler carried the ball 204 times in 2022 for 915 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in what would be the most productive season of his career. However, his role as a receiver was an underrated part of his campaign as well, and he managed to add 722 receiving yards to his season total with five touchdowns through the air to boot.

Behind Ekeler, third-year back Joshua Kelley found modest success as a runner in 13 appearances, tallying 287 yards and two touchdowns. Though he only made one start on the season, Kelley carved out a legitimate role for himself in the Chargers’ offense and should prove to be valuable depth at the position moving forward.

Three other running backs carried the ball for Los Angeles as well, though they weren’t nearly as productive. Veteran Sony Michel, rookie Isaiah Spiller, and second-year back Larry Rountree combined for 166 yards on 67 carries over the course of the year, good for an average of just 2.2 yards per carry. None were able to find the end zone in 2022.

The last piece of the puzzle in the Chargers’ backfield is fullback Zander Horvath, who makes his money as a lead blocker. Though he isn’t often thought of as a key piece to Brandon Staley’s offensive attack, Horvath has proven to be an asset in the running game.

Los Angeles shouldn’t be too concerned about adding another running back in the offseason, though if they want to pursue depth at the position they may decide to take a flier on a late-round draft prospect. Their less-than-ideal situation relative to the salary cap will make it difficult to justify spending more than a minimal amount of money at the position and should serve to cement Ekeler’s role as the team’s lead back ahead of the 2023 season.

Chargers make roster moves ahead of Week 17 matchup with Rams

The Chargers activated Joey Bosa from injured reserve.

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The Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of their Week 17 matchup with the Rams.

Los Angeles activated edge defender Joey Bosa from injured reserve. Bosa has been out since Week 3 with a groin injury that he had to have surgery on.

In correspondence, L.A. waived running back Sony Michel to make room for Bosa on the roster.

Additionally, the Chargers promoted RB Larry Rountree and defensive lineman David Moa from the practice squad.

Rountree has appeared in two games this season. In 2021, he rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries.

Moa, a former undrafted free agent out of Boise State, spent time with the Vikings and Falcons before landing in New York, where he played in four games and had three tackles in 2021.

Chargers inactives: See who’s in and who’s out for Week 16 vs. Colts

The Chargers ruled out six players.

The Chargers are about 90 minutes away from kicking off Week 16 against the Colts.

Here is a look at their inactive players today:

Easton Stick

Sony Michel

JT Woods

Isaiah Spiller

Storm Norton

Michael Bandy

Larry Rountree gets the nod as the third running back over Michel and Spiller, as he offers more special teams value. The same applies to Raheem Layne, who was signed to the active roster, over Woods.

Derwin James, who missed the past two weeks, is active.

Hype video: Georgia and LSU face off in the SEC championship

Nick Chubb and Sony Michel get UGA football fans hyped for the SEC championship against LSU!

The Georgia Bulldogs face the LSU Tigers in the 2022 SEC championship game.

Georgia will have a chance to win its first SEC championship since 2017. Georgia lost to LSU in the 2019 SEC championship.

Former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has exceeded expectations in his first season with the Tigers.

Georgia (12-0, 8-0) and LSU (9-3, 6-2) impressed a lot of folks this year. Nobody in the preseason media poll predicted LSU would win the SEC West. Georgia lost a record-breaking 15 players to the 2022 NFL draft, but still went undefeated for a second consecutive regular season. The Dawgs have won 27 straight regular-season games.

Kirby Smart and Georgia football have represented the SEC East in five of the last six SEC championships. Georgia has lost some heartbreakers in the SEC championship over the years and are looking to change that in 2022.

Georgia has appeared in nine SEC championship games. The Bulldogs have faced LSU in four of their nine appearances. Georgia is 1-3 against LSU in SEC championship games.

Former Georgia running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb narrate a hype video to get Georgia football fans fired up for the 2022 SEC championship.

Sony Michel plays for the Los Angeles Chargers. Nick Chubb stars for the Cleveland Browns. Michel and Chubb did not win a national championship, but the duo won an SEC championship in 2017 when they returned for their senior seasons to play for each other.

Georgia fans are expected to travel well for the SEC championship, which will be played in Atlanta, Georgia, and will be televised on CBS. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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