The weakest position on the Los Angeles Rams roster over the last 20 seasons has no doubt been running back. It has been a lot of random names in the backfield for this Los Angeles franchise. The only running backs that have been really good for the Rams have either been Steven Jackson or Todd Gurley .
Nov 8, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Former NFL running back Todd Gurley is seen on the field before the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors take on the San Diego State Aztecs at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
Jackson played for the Rams in 2004-2012, but that was when the Rams were in St. Louis, Missouri. He rushed for 1,000 or more yards in eight of his nine seasons with the Rams. As for Gurley, he played for the Rams from 2015-2019. In 2015, they played in St. Louis. From 2016-2019, they were in Los Angeles, California. Gurley did have a few 1,000 yards seasons in the backfield, but there were some knee issues with him that he couldn't play in the NFL for so long.
September 25, 2005; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams Stephen Jackson (39) rushes for 6 yards in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
It isn't a contest that Jackson and Gurley are by far the two best running backs that the Rams franchise had over the last 20 years. Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com believed that Jackson was the better running back for this franchise over the last 20 years than Gurley. He said,
"PFF arrived after most of "The Greatest Show on Turf" era had ended. Following a top-10 finish in points scored in 2006, the Rams failed to rank among the NFL's top 10 offenses until Sean McVay's arrival in 2017. In fact, Los Angeles finished outside the top 20 in points scored every season from 2007 to 2016. Unsurprisingly, 11 of the 12 players on this offensive roster come from the McVay era.
The lone exception is Steven Jackson, who earned the running back spot over Todd Gurley II. While Gurley reached a higher peak, Jackson carried the ball more than 700 additional times during his Rams career, and the two produced nearly identical efficiency. Jackson also held an advantage in yards per route run, posting a 1.21 mark compared to Gurley's 1.16 on a larger sample of routes. That combination of longevity and efficiency ultimately gave Jackson the edge."
The interesting thing is that after Jackson left the Rams, he played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2013 and in 2014. Gurley also played for Atlanta in 2020 and that was his final season in the NFL. This Los Angeles franchise has not come close to finding a quality running back since having Jackson and Gurley. Choosing Jackson was the right call because he was more consistent over a long period of time for this Rams franchise here.
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The post "Longevity and Efficiency": PFF Names Steven Jackson as Top Los Angeles Rams Running Back Over the Last 20 Seasons appeared first on Gridiron Heroics .
