The 49ers gave the Rams the RB committee management blueprint

The Rams are moving from a real workhorse to probably using a more backcountry committee approach this year. Todd Gurley has been the king of races in Los Angeles for the last several years, dominating the distribution of touches in the running back, his backups getting minimal opportunities.

Gurley left after being cut in March, leaving Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown to take the reins. The Rams haven’t specifically said how they’ll handle the share of touches and snaps in the backfield, with all three players expected to contribute.

The Rams don’t need to look outside the state of California to come up with a plan to handle the running back position after seeing what the 49ers did last season. They had three players who carried it between 123 and 137 times, all rushing for at least 544 yards and averaging no less than 4.0 yards per carry.

Raheem Mostert has become the team’s most productive and efficient defenseman with 772 rushing yards, while Matt Breida himself has gained 623 yards on just 123 carries. Tevin Coleman won the most starts (11) but rushed for the fewest yards (544).

The 49ers have consistently kept teams on their toes with these three backs, using them all in attack. Sean McVay took note of the work Kyle Shanahan did last season and mentioned the 49ers’ approach when Dan Hellie asked him how the Rams would run their committee.

“I think it will work naturally. I think if you look at this success that San Fran had last year with this committee comeback approach, ”McVay said on The Helliepod. “What I thought Kyle (Shanahan) and their players did a good job was, ‘Hey, we’re going to have an open-minded approach, we’re going to commit to trying to have a balance and then we ‘I will go with a warm hand or with anyone who really expresses themselves as deserving of the portages.

McVay doesn’t just look at Akers, Henderson, and Brown as contributors. He also mentioned John Kelly, who was a sixth-round pick in 2018 but only wore it 30 times in two seasons.

Los Angeles don’t have any proven starters on their roster, but the depth at this position is excellent, giving McVay options on a weekly basis.

“We feel good. We have three guys really on our roster that have played football when you watch Darrell Henderson, John Kelly is another guy, Malcolm Brown has always produced in that # 2 role behind Todd,” he said. “And then Cam Akers is a guy we’re passionate about. So we have four full-backs who we think are all legitimate starting-caliber full-backs in the NFL and you don’t feel you have to force or touch l “one of them. Just open your mind and see how these guys are doing.

Akers is arguably the most talented of the field, having been a second round pick and given the skills he possesses. But Henderson is explosive and can make big plays in the blink of an eye thanks to his speed; he averaged 8.2 yards per rush in college. Brown is a quality blocker and can do anything as a running back, even though he doesn’t have the high ceiling that Akers and Brown have.

If the Rams ever follow the 49ers’ plan on offense, it will benefit Jared Goff, who threw more passes than any other NFL quarterback last season. McVay clearly wants to be more balanced and use the running game more, and given the skill he has to work with on the tailback, there’s almost no reason he couldn’t take the pressure off Goff.

The 49ers were second in rushing attempts, rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns last season, attempting the fourth fewest passes for any team. By comparison, the Rams were 18th in rushing attempts and 26th in yards, but they attempted more passes than all but two of the teams. Expect this division to be much closer in 2020.