It is likely that the late season addition of veteran running back C.J. Anderson may wind up being the most important one the Los Angeles Rams made in all of 2018.
During the offseason this past spring when the Los Angeles Rams were making news with big names like Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks, and of course big fish Ndamukong Suh, it was a signing in late December that looks to be the best and most consequential in 2018.
Running back C.J. Anderson was just what the doctor ordered when the Los Angeles rushing attack stalled with an injury to Pro Bowler Todd Gurley. Hey let’s face it, the offense as a whole led by quarterback Jared Goff looked to have hit rough waters as the running game faded.
Hardly splashy and with little fanfare, the Rams looked to be digging deep with the veteran who wasn’t even on a roster. Once signed however, coach Sean McVay had some options. Especially and most importantly the option to sit his star running back for games against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.
Anderson bought valuable time and allowed the Rams offense, especially Jared Goff, to find some needed success. Sure, it came at the expense of the Cardinals and Niners who had a total of seven wins 25 losses between them, but given the stakes like the second seed in the NFC and a much needed bye week, the addition of Anderson to help lead Los Angeles to those two wins was absolutely critical.
As for the upcoming postseason Gurley, as well as the rest of the team has another week of rest courtesy of Anderson, something everyone can certainly use.
You won’t find a lot of fans or observers who can sell the idea that the Rams signing of Anderson was anything less than significant. While Talib and Peters, Cooks and Suh got and get a lot of ink, it’s the journeyman veteran who has helped position Los Angeles for a deep run by running hard and putting an offense on his back.
Say what you want, but the best and perhaps most important addition to the Los Angeles Rams came in December, just when they needed it most.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News