Los Angeles Rams: John Kelly can carve out a role as backup

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley doesn’t need much help behind him. Still, John Kelly has proven he can have an impactful role as a backup.

Todd Gurley was in the MVP running last season, and is expected to once again be right in the middle of the race this season as well. With that in mind, the Los Angeles Rams running back position is kind of set — not much else is needed.

However, John Kelly put together a fantastic camp and preseason. The rookie led the Rams in rushing yards in all three games he registered a carry in this preseason. He also picked up three touchdowns and caught six passes. This has helped him secure a spot on the roster, and on the depth chart as the backup to Gurley.

Kelly’s role may seem small as the backup to a superstar. In reality, how many carries is someone behind Gurley really going to get. Well last season, the Rams had 138 non-Gurley/quarterback runs. That’s actually a solid chunk of runs right there.

Let’s look at this rationally for a minute. The Rams won’t want to exhaust Gurley. He’s still only 24 and has a history of injuries. He’s also much too important to the team’s success. At the same time though, Gurley’s that good. The Rams are going to use him as much as they need because he can win games.

Therefore, Kelly should expect scheduled sporadic running. He’ll be given the change-of-tempo and give-Gurley-a-rest runs. Don’t expect those to come often though. The real time for Kelly will be when the game is out of reach. There will be no need to run Gurley, but it’s still important to have someone in there that can help move the offense.

This preseason, Kelly proved he can do that. He also proved he can give Los Angeles good snaps when Gurley does get those rare mid-game rests.

John Kelly won’t be a superstar in the Los Angeles Rams offense. It’s hard to do that when you’re backing up for Todd Gurley. However, he has a role — and could be an important part of the success in Los Angeles.