Rams-49ers: Malcolm Brown set to make first appearance with Rams since 2020

Sean McVay is calling up one of his favorite players for Monday Night Football

Hours before their Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams called up two players from the practice squad: RB Malcolm Brown and OT Chandler Brewer. It will be Brown’s first appearance of 2022 and his first game back with the Rams since the final playoff game of the 2020 season.

Brown spent the first six seasons of his career with the Rams, beginning with one season in St. Louis in 2015. He carried the ball a career-high 101 times for 419 yards and five touchdowns in 2020, also catching 23 passes for 162 yards. He spent 2021 with the Miami Dolphins as they attempted to rebuild their backfield, but Brown made just seven appearances and had 33 carries for 125 yards. He was added back to the Rams’ practice squad earlier this season and now the team is calling on him to help fortify a backfield that has had inconsistencies and injuries to being the year.

Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson figure to be active too, but Brown isn’t being called up for no reason. The last time Brown played for McVay, he had 17 carries inside the red zone, 13 inside the 10-yard line, and he scored all five touchdowns from that distance.

Brown also saw the majority of his opportunities come in the second and third quarters and primarily when the quarterback was under center. This will be Brown’s first game with Matthew Stafford as the quarterback.

Expect Brown to be utilized in the middle of the game as a complement to Cam Akers, who fumbled in his most recent game, and near the goal line. He could get a lot of action on first down.

The Rams are also down an offensive lineman with David Edwards in the concussion protocol, so Chandler Brewer returns to the active gameday roster.