Had It Not Been Sony Michel, the Rams Could Have Plucked a Vikings RB
Wednesday ushered in the morning news that the Los Angeles Rams – a team suddenly starved for a running back after injuries to Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson – traded the New England Patriots for Sony Michel, a 26-year-old Georgia alumnus.
Michel is known for steady, non-flashy carrying of the football, evidently desired by the Rams amid the team’s skimpy running back depth. The surprise, though, is the pricetag. Michel fetched two draft picks with the potential for one of them to reach 4th-Round standing. Wowzers.
Los Angeles probably could have limped by sans Akers for a season, pivoting to Henderson as its quasi-bellcow ball carrier. But the Henderson injury changed the stakes.
Now in Hollywood, it’ll be the Michel Show – noteworthy news for fantasy football participants.
Pertaining to the Minnesota Vikings, a conversation with the Rams easily could have made sense. Running back is the deepest position on the Vikings 2021 roster – Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, Ameer Abdullah, Ito Smith, and A.J. Rose – so it’s “what could have been” for that hypothetical scenario.
To be fair, there is no evidence to suggest that the Vikings and Rams discussed any type of deal.
A glance up and down the Vikings roster leaves an obvious observation: The Vikings could probably “get away with” trading one of their tailbacks for a draft pick(s). Outside of Dalvin Cook – the lifeblood of the Vikings offense who will not be traded – Alexander Mattison seems like a fair target.
Mattison was drafted in 2019, a time when Cook’s long-term injury was prognosis was still iffy. Had Cook missed long stretches of time in 2019 or 2020, Mattison would have reasonably filled in for RB1 duties.
Alas, Cook remained mostly upright in those two seasons, canceling the necessity for a bellcow contingency.
Since Mattison’s rookie season, Minnesota added even more depth. Although hurt right now – that won’t last forever – Kene Nwangwu is a speed demon who could handle some RB2 touches in the Vikings offense. Ameer Abdullah, like Michel, is not glitzy, but he’s reliable. Ito Smith is new to the depth chart and versatile. And A.J. Rose has looked terrific in a couple of preseason games. In that hodgepodge, there is a pathway to production without Mattison if, for some reason, he was traded to an RB1-needy team.
If the Michel trade was a logical indication, grabbing a 4th-Rounder for Mattison is enticing. Plus, a later-round deal sweetener is alluring as general manager Rick Spielman enjoys his Day Three draft picks.
What happened to the Rams – can happen to any other NFL team. Their depth was ravaged within a couple of weeks, sending a Super Bowl-seeking franchise into a mini-panic. This time, the call was made to Bill Belichick in New England. But don’t rule out the Vikings as a roster perused if that happens again in the next two weeks to another team. Mattison is a very good running back that plays on roughly 20% of offensive snaps for the Vikings. He could blossom as “the guy” with an RB1 title attached to his name. Mattison is not as dynamic as Cook – few are.
However, a squad in a Rams-like predicament could use his services – especially if Spielman received a 4th-Round draft pick as compensation.
