The Los Angeles Rams are heading into Week 7 with major question marks at the running back position. With both Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers potentially set to miss time, could we see the Rams look to the RB free agent market for help?
This late into the season, the pickings among free agents are somewhat slim. However, there are a couple of names that could come in and do a job for the Rams, including a familiar face. Let’s take a look at the remaining top free agent RBs available, including Leonard Fournette, Darrell Henderson, and James Robinson.
Editor’s Note: The Rams have added Darrell Henderson to the Practice squad and elevated Royce Freeman to the active roster.
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Top Free Agent RBs Available for the Los Angeles Rams
Leonard Fournette
To say Fournette is a player who divides options would be somewhat of an understatement. Some still view him as a talented, multi-faceted back who can provide for an NFL team, while others believe he’s a fading force.
The fact that Fournette is currently a free agent in Week 7 suggests that NFL decision-makers don’t view him as worth the cost. Assuming Fournette would agree, the Rams should consider a heavily incentivized deal based on playing time.
Fournette has played six seasons in the NFL, three with the Jacksonville Jaguars and three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has totaled 4,478 rushing yards at an average of 4.0 yards per attempt and 56.7 yards per game. He’s also added 2,219 receiving yards on 312 receptions for an average of 28.1 receiving yards per game.
A player averaging over 80 all-purpose yards a game and 41 touchdowns in 79 games is not a bad emergency option. Fournette’s rushing stats in 2022 were nothing to be particularly proud of, averaging 3.5 yards per attempt, but he still averaged over 30 yards per game when it came to the receiving side.
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The key will ultimately come down to money. If Williams and Rivers are expected back in four to six weeks, can the Rams and Fournette come to a financially sensible deal?
Fournette would certainly give the Rams a dual-threat back and one who knows his way around the pass-blocking game.
Darrell Henderson
As an emergency option, Henderson makes the most sense for the Rams right now. Two days removed from signing for the Arlington Renegades in the XFL, Henderson is unlikely to cost a huge amount and is already fully competent in the offensive system that Sean McVay runs.
Henderson spent the majority of the previous four years with the Rams, rushing for 1,742 yards at an average of 4.4 yards per attempt, with 13 rushing touchdowns. He also added 474 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
He’s not the same dual-threat option the likes of Fournette would be, but Henderson is a known quantity and probably considered a safe pair of hands.
The 26-year-old RB could step back in and provide certainty to this offense until Williams and Rivers are back. He would at least offer a more known quantity than rookie RB Zach Evans, who has played in just two games so far in his NFL career.
James Robinson
Update: James Robinson has signed with the Green Bay Packers.
Robinson is probably the wild card here. Now 25, Robinson’s career set off at a tremendous pace with 1,070 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns as a rookie.
Unfortunately, an Achilles injury in 2021 put the brakes on a solid start to his career, and the young running back has struggled to make a mark ever since.
Robinson has been on the fringes of an opportunity this year but has yet to step on the field in 2023. He has the ability as a receiver to be a dual-threat option, having 617 career receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
MORE: Remaining 2023 Free Agents by Position
Robinson isn’t as established in that role as Fournette would be, and we don’t really know what juice he has left as he continues to move further away from that Achilles injury. Yet, he might have the most upside of the three, purely from what we have seen historically.
However, the amount of teams that have passed on Robinson in the last 18 months offers some red flags in terms of his ability as an NFL running back right now. He could be a handy fill-in for a couple of weeks, or he could be a practice-squad option if Los Angeles elevates Royce Freeman.
Other Free Agent Running Backs
There aren’t many quality RB free agents available. Darrel Williams has flashed in moments over the past two years, and we know what J.D. McKissic can provide in the passing game. Much like Robinson, those two feel like the “upside” options.
The Rams may just want to go with a veteran option they can stash on the practice squad. If so, someone like Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, or Mark Ingram makes sense as a temporary cover. None of them are going to excite Rams fans, but they could be a safe option in case of emergency.
The other options available to the Rams are a trade, be it a blockbuster or a depth trade. L.A. recently sent Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings, which they may be having second thoughts about privately this week. From a big-name perspective, Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook could be intriguing, while Samaje Perine might be an under-the-radar name to watch.
Looking around the NFL practice squads, not much stands out as an obvious option. Los Angeles could look at players like Deneric Prince or SaRodorick Thompson, who are rookies, and maybe someone they scouted ahead of the draft. Additionally, you have names like Kenyan Drake and Melvin Gordon III, who have a body of history behind them.
An intriguing name to keep an eye on could be Miami Dolphins practice squad RB Jake Funk. The Rams and Funk were together in both 2021 and 2022 when he played in 15 games but carried the ball just four times, two of which were in the playoffs. If that were to be the case, then it would solely be about knowledge of the system and wanting to get someone in they could lean on immediately.
