Not since 2004, when Marshall Faulk was still the starter, has anyone other than Steven Jackson been the Rams’ No. 1 running back. But with Jackson now in Atlanta, someone else will be carrying the load in St. Louis this year. And at the moment, the Rams think that “someone” will be Daryl Richardson.
The Rams’ training camp media guide calls Richardson, a 2012 seventh-round pick who rushed for 475 yards on 98 carries as a rookie, the projected starter on offense.
Isaiah Pead, the Rams’ 2012 second-round pick, is currently projected as the No. 2 running back and Zac Stacy, a fifth-round pick this year, is projected as the No. 3 running back. Terrance Ganaway will likely be the fourth and last running back on the regular-season roster.
As Rotoworld points out, Richardson is really only projected as the No. 1 running back now because someone has to be No. 1 now. He’ll have to earn the No. 1 job in training camp. And it will be interesting to see how often the Rams use first-round rookie Tavon Austin, who is listed as a wide receiver but who ran the ball 72 times for 643 yards as a senior at West Virginia last year, as a running back.
But for now anyway, Richardson is the leader in the Rams’ running back competition.