Rams Reveal Massive Decision for Offense Before Steelers Game

The Los Angeles Rams will lean on running backs Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson against the Steelers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Henderson, elevated from the practice squad after the team placed Kyren Williams on injured reserve, is a veteran with plenty of experience with the Rams. Freeman has played for six seasons in the NFL. Rookie Zach Evans will be active and back the veterans, while Myles Gaskin will sit for the game.

As such, the veterans should see the heaviest usage in that rotation, with Williams and Ronnie Rivers on injured reserve. For the first time all season, the Rams started to click on the ground against the Cardinals, but the injury to Williams could throw a wrench in all of that.

Gaskin has been in the NFL since 2019 when the Dolphins selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He started 17 games for Miami over the four years he was there with the team. However, they moved on last year once Mike McDaniel and the staff changed the room to implement more speed. Still, Gaskin has 1355 career rushing yards and 701 receiving yards in Miami. He added 13 total touchdowns to that mark. This year, Gaskin joined the Vikings in August.

Henderson came into the NFL with the Rams in 2019 and played with them until last season, when the team moved on. He would latch on with the Jaguars following his release in November. Henderson racked up 1742 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 474 receiving yards and four touchdowns over those seasons with the Rams. Just days before signing with the Rams, he signed with the Arlington Renegades of the XFL to play in the 2024 season. Henderson has experience in Sean McVay’s offense, which should help him hit the ground running against the Steelers.

As for Freeman, he came into the NFL in 2018 as a third-round pick out of Oregon with the Denver Broncos. He has bounced around from Denver to Carolina to Houston before joining the Rams this offseason. While not making the initial roster, Freeman has been with the Rams since July and will now see playing time against the Steelers.

Coming out of Ole Miss, Evans is an athletic player with a ton of pedigree. He impressed the Rams during training camp and the preseason, leading to his role now with the Rams. They picked Evans as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and while he did not test off the charts, Evans plays like a running back with acceleration and excellent quickness.