In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams reached the apex of professional football, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVI. Last season, everything fell apart. LA’s offense looked like a shadow of its former self, topping 24 points just twice all year, and the injuries piled up, leaving a skeleton crew that barely resembled the championship club.
While the ground game didn’t have the steep drop off that the rest of the offense did, that was because the Rams weren’t a good running team in 2021 when expected lead back Cam Akers missed nearly the entire regular season due to an Achilles injury. Having Akers and Darrell Henderson available to begin LA’s title defense didn’t help matters, and Henderson ended up getting waived in late November.
Beyond the backs, the offensive line was decimated by injury. The team will be counting on bounce-back years from offensive tackle Joe Noteboom, who played in six games before tearing his Achilles, and center Brian Allen, who appeared in eight games, as well as offensive guard Logan Bruss, a third-round pick that missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. OG Steve Avila, a second-round selection back in April, and holdover tackle Rob Havenstein, the lone healthy returning lineman, should round out the starting five.
While the Rams need this group to gel and stay healthy to maximize the potential of the running game, there’s always fantasy appeal in backs. That means it’s a good time to look at LA’s backfield to see what they have with which to work.