Two years ago, running back Malcolm Brown was a key part of the Rams’ rotation. He’s now back.
But he’s not in the rotation yet. The Rams signed him to the practice squad on Thursday.
“Malcolm and I actually had the same landlord last time,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Thursday. “He’s unbelievable. Malcolm is a pro’s pro. [He] just does everything the right way, both on and off the field. He’ll be a great example for a ton of our younger players, both in that room and out of that room. He’s just a great example. He’s does things the right way and he can make plays, man. He’s had some of the best blitz pickups that we’ve ever had here. . . . He’s made some great plays for us. He’ll be a great addition to that room.”
Brown, undrafted out of Texas in 2015, spent six seasons with the Rams. He signed with the Dolphins last year. He had 125 rushing yards before landing on injured reserve in October. Brown joined in the Saints in July, but he was released not long thereafter.
“The position’s so volatile,” McVay said. “I think you guys saw that last year with Sony [Michel] coming in. You just can’t have enough guys, specifically at that position, that know and are veterans and can really just -- the protections, all those little things that go into the position that aren’t just handing them the ball and running. So it’s definitely not a knock on those other two. It’s just, ‘Hey, how can we make sure that we build this thing behind them to make sure we have a guy that can also come in and lead and do some different things.’ It’s never going to hurt.”
“Those other two” are Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers. Henderson has had 47 yards rushing in each of the first two games. Akers had none in Week One, 44 in Week Two. Jake Funk is the other running back on the 53-man roster.