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Patient Rams RB Malcolm Brown emerges from Todd Gurley’s shadow

Rams will lean on Malcolm Brown's leadership in running back room

Malcolm Brown and Todd Gurley entered the NFL the same season in 2015 when the Los Angeles Rams were still in St. Louis -- Gurley a first-round pick and instant star while Brown had to earn a roster spot as an undrafted rookie out of Texas.

Through relocation to L.A. and sharing a running back room the next five years, the two grew close. So when Gurley was released this offseason in a cost-cutting move and later signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Brown understandably had mixed feelings.

His good friend was gone, but Gurley’s departure created an opportunity for Brown to earn playing time.

“Todd was probably one of the coolest dudes I ever met,” Brown said. “That made it that much easier anyway. We always fed off each other and things like that. It’s just a mindset. I feel like a lot of guys get caught up in wanting to be the man immediately. But, it’s a grind.

“I knew what was coming from the jump. I’m undrafted. The running back class I came in with was crazy. I knew what it was from the jump. I knew that I had to focus in on playing my role. I think that’s the biggest thing, you have a role when you get into this league. You can’t just hop in and be the man all the time.”

At 27 years old and entering his sixth season, Brown is the most experienced player in the running back room. He intimately knows head coach Sean McVay’s system and can teach younger players the details of the position.

Brown grinded out career highs in rushing yards (255) and touchdowns (5) for a season in 2019. However, the Rams’ run game scuffled, which is one of the reasons the team moved on from Gurley and selected Florida State’s Cam Akers in the second round of this year’s draft.

The Rams averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on first down runs last season, No. 28 in the NFL.

Brown will compete with Akers, 2019 third-round selection Darrell Henderson and 2018 sixth-round selection John Kelly for playing time this season.

Combined, the group has a total of 946 rushing yards in the NFL. Gurley left the Rams at No. 6 on the team’s all-time rushing list with 5,404 yards.

All four, along with undrafted rookie Xavier Woods out of Southern Methodist University, should get a chance to earn carries in the offense. But Brown will get the first look.

Along with Brown, the Rams will lean on new running backs coach Thomas Brown to help reignite the running game. McVay spoke highly of Brown’s knowledge of the running back position and his enthusiasm for the game.

Coaching running back for the Rams is Brown’s coaching debut in the NFL. However, he worked with Melvin Gordon, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel during his nine years in college.

“He’s a great dude, man,” Malcolm Brown said about his position coach. “You can tell his intensity right off the bat, getting his focus on the details of the game -- just some of the smallest things you can think of. To have that addition to our staff has been amazing already, and we haven’t even gotten into the bulk of it. … He’s intentional, he’s intense about what he does. He loves what he does, and he wants us to learn.”