Gaskin Finds New NFL Home with Rams

As an NFL player, Myles Gaskin keeps moving closer and closer to home, having now traversed the country and three time zones this season alone.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Rams acquired Gaskin, the University of Washington's all-time leading rusher and a fifth-year pro running back, badly in need of backfield help after losing Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers to ankle and knee injuries over the weekend.

“Excited to be back on the West Coast and close to home,” Gaskin told reporters. “So I feel like the stars aligned for me to get here.”

Released by the Miami Dolphins in August, Gaskin had bounced back and forth between the Minnesota Vikings' active roster and practice squad this season. The Vikings activated him for a game but didn't use him.

The Rams signed Gaskin, a product of Lynnwood, Washington, directly to their active roster and added former Rams running back Darrell Henderson Jr. to their practice squad, according to reports.

Coach Sean McVay told media members he moved on adding Gaskin after receiving positive feedback about the back from Jimmy Lake, the former Husky coach and defensive coordinator and now a Rams' assistant coach.

The 5-foot-10, 199-pound Gaskin has played in 39 NFL games and rushed 161 times for 1,355 yards in his career, but he's appeared in just five games and picked up 26 yards on the ground over the past two seasons as his role in Miami diminished with a new coaching staff.

His best NFL season came in 2021 when he rushed for 612 yards and 3 touchdowns, and caught 4 scoring passes.

The Rams will choose someone to carry the ball from among six-year pro and Oregon alum Royce Freeman, rookie Zach Evans from Mississippi, Henderson and Gaskin.

Playing for the Huskies in 2015-18, Gaskin rushed for a school-record 5,323 yards and scored 62 touchdowns, both third all-time in the Pac-12.

Crossing paths with Gaskin back then, Freeman played at Oregon in 2014-17 and rushed for 5,621 yards and scored 60 times.

They were 2-3 in conference annals behind late USC standout Charles White, who picked up 6,245 yards in 1976-79.

While there were several former UW players on the Rams roster a year ago, only center/guard Coleman Shelton, one of his Husky teammates, remains with the franchise, with Lake a new coaching addition this season.

“I see a lot of familiar faces and have a great relationship with all these dudes,” Gaskin said. “I’m just doing what they ask me to do.”

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