The Los Angeles Rams are in need of running back help, and as such, traded for it with Patriots running back Sony Michel.
Fans of the Los Angeles Rams have the memory in their head of Sony Michel scoring the only touchdown in their Super Bowl LIII loss to the Patriots.
Now, the former New England running back will be suiting up for their squad after a trade that sent the former first-round pick to Los Angeles in exchange for two conditional late-round draft picks, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, the two late-round picks could be “placeholders” for a fourth-round pick as the Rams expect to get a fourth-round compensatory pick for John Johnson III, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
While Michel will have the Super Bowl as a reminder of just how successful his rookie campaign turned out to be, it hasn’t been replicated since. Six touchdowns over three games is no easy feat, and being the only player on both sides to enter the end zone on Super Sunday en route to a 13-3 victory is a feat that may not be seen in the years to come.
In Los Angeles, Michel joins a team widely viewed as a championship contender and attempts to be the second team in a row to win the Super Bowl in their home stadium, following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Michel’s former quarterback Tom Brady.
Furthermore, given the situation regarding the health of Darrell Henderson combined with losing Cam Akers for the season with a torn Achilles, it only made sense that the Rams go out and find a running back via trade as opposed to signing a player just days before a third preseason game and the final cutdown towards the 53-man roster.
Sony Michel needs a fresh start, and the Los Angeles Rams have now given him just that.
Before he arrived in the NFL, Sony Michel was part of a two-headed backfield tandem with Nick Chubb at the University of Georgia.
Furthermore, his game-winning touchdown in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma sent the Bulldogs home for the National Championship, where they lost to Alabama on a play from Tua Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith, both now players in the NFL.
As stated before, Michel was largely used by the Patriots in the playoffs during his rookie season when he was taken 31st overall in 2018, one pick ahead of future MVP Lamar Jackson.
After rushing for 931 yards as a rookie, Michel came alive in the postseason, notably the Super Bowl. Since then, however, with the crowded Patriots backfield, he became expendable.
Los Angeles hopes that Michel can be the piece in the backfield to help provide stability for Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense. Michel was once an opponent of the Rams, and now he is part of the team. Life changes quickly in the NFL, and you better get used to it