Tre Mason’s absence creates opportunity in LA Rams’ backfield

By Rich Hammond

[www.dailynews.com]

LOS ANGELES >> By not showing up, Tre Mason made a huge impact on the Rams’ running-back battle in training camp.

If Mason had not been arrested in March, to start an apparently sad, complicated saga in his life, the Rams’ depth chart would have been fairly well set with Todd Gurley, Mason and Benny Cunningham. That’s a mix of speed and power that would have made it tough for anyone else to crack the rotation.

Instead, more than halfway through training camp, there’s intriguing flux, and heading into Saturday’s preseason game between the Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, there’s at least one job to be won.

“I want the best backs to be on the roster, no matter who that is,” Cunningham said this week. “You just try to come out and compete and set the bar for the next guy. Hopefully we can make each other better, with the competition being so strong.”

Start with the obvious: Gurley is the star. He rushed for the third-most yards in the NFL last season (1,106), has looked remarkably agile in camp and is set to make his preseason debut Saturday, for a couple series.

Nobody is unseating Gurley, but after that, the door is open, and Mason unwittingly opened it.

The Rams’ leading rusher in 2014 and second-leading rusher last season, Mason was on track for a major role again this year before he was arrested near his Florida home. Mason faces four misdemeanor charges related to reckless driving, marijuana possession and resisting arrest.

More troubling is that Mason did not report to training camp and has ignored outreach attempts by coaches and teammates. According to published reports, Mason — whose next court hearing is Sept. 8 — has had several run-ins with Florida police since March but has not been arrested a second time.

The Rams, albeit with concern for Mason’s well-being, have moved on. Coach Jeff Fisher this week flatly said, “Tre’s not here, so it gives the other guys more reps.”

“Everybody has just been out here ready to compete every day,” Gurley said. “Everybody knows what it takes to be great, and I feel like we’ve been doing a great job of just going at it with each other, and keeping the intensity high for offense and defense.”

Per Fisher’s plan, Gurley didn’t play in last week’s preseason opener against Dallas. Cunningham started and thrived, with four carries for 23 yards and a touchdown, plus a 20-yard screen-pass reception.

Malcolm Brown came in and rushed eight times for 66 yards. Aaron Green took over in the fourth quarter, rushed four times for 27 yards and caught the game-winning 9-yard touchdown pass from Sean Mannion.

“I feel like they did a good job,” Cunningham said. “Seeing the time they put in, and the workouts on the field and the work in the film room, it most definitely paid off for us. But we all know that, in this league, it’s all about being consistent, so we want to come out here and be ready for the next one.”

That’s because the running backs know the math, and it’s a bit scary.

Last season, the Rams kept five running backs on their season-opening roster, perhaps in part because they weren’t certain Gurley was 100-percent healthy. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Rams carry only four backs at the start of this season.

Given that Gurley and Cunningham seem set, that would leave two (or three at best) spots up for competition among Brown, Green, special-teams star Chase Reynolds and Terrence Magee.

Reynolds’ work on coverage units gives him an edge. Brown has looked strong in practice carries and Magee, who had only one carry against Dallas, could have value as a third-down back.

How quickly can things change? Consider Green. He turned heads in early camp practices then had an impressive game against Dallas. Two days later, though, Green appeared to pull up lame after a carry. He didn’t practice at the end of the week and his status for Saturday’s game is in doubt.

With 10 days before initial roster cuts, it’s horrible timing, although it’s highly that all six running backs will survive the first round of cuts. The competition has been strong and there’s no reason to cull the group.

“We’re really happy with it,” Fisher said. “Really happy with Malcolm. You obviously can’t say enough about Benny, but Malcolm and Chase are doing a good job. I don’t know about Green this week; we’ll see. Terrence can carry the football, too. It’s a good group.”

And one familiar with intense competition, as Brown, Cunningham, Green and Magee all went undrafted out of college and have had to battle for NFL spots.

Cunningham is now the veteran, at age 26. Also a key special-teams contributor, Cunningham has appeared in all 16 games in each of the past two seasons and seems to have a secure NFL future now, but said all the Rams’ running backs understand what is at stake.

“The guys have a good relationship, a friendly competition, I would say,” Cunningham said. “For me personally, I just want to prepare myself like I’m going to be the starter, no matter who is on the roster. When my number is called, I want to contribute in a positive way.”