What Brown Brings and What It Means for the RB Room

The Miami Dolphins agreed to terms with Rams running back Malcolm Brown

There was a lot of buzz about the Miami Dolphins adding a running back via free agency, but if they're going to land a feature back, it will come through the draft.

The Dolphins have agreed to terms with former Rams running back Malcolm Brown, who did a solid job for the past five seasons in a complementary role.

Brown played 70 games in six seasons for the Rams and started only two games. His career high for rushes is 101, which happened last year when he shared backfield duties with Darrell Henderson and rookie second-round pick Cam Akers.

Brown also rushed for a career-high 419 in 2020 when he matched his personal best with five touchdowns.

It just might be the same kind of scenario for Brown in Miami, even though it's been assumed the Dolphins might go after one of the top running backs in the draft — Najee Harris, Travis Etienne or Javonte Williams.

But the Dolphins also have Myles Gaskin on the roster after he had a productive 2020 season and Salvon Ahmed also showed promise as a rookie free agent.

So maybe it's not as much of a slam dunk as many seem to think that the Dolphins will go for a running back early in the draft and maybe instead will rotate between Gaskin, Brown, Ahmed and maybe somebody else thrown into the mix.

Just remember that the Dolphins did not go after a marquee running back last offseason, either, instead preferring to sign mid-level free agent Jordan Howard and trade for Matt Breida.

The results weren't positive because Howard was released in November and Breida likely won't be back, but maybe the Dolphins will stick to that approach nonetheless.

At 5-11, 224, Brown is a much bigger back than Gaskin and Ahmed, and he'll bring a physical dimension to the offense.

Here's the lowdown on Brown from Ram Digest Publisher Eric Williams:

With Todd Gurley moving on to Atlanta last season, Malcolm Brown became the elder statesman of the running back room and providing a good mentor for younger players like Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. But the Rams also leaned on Brown on third down because of intimate knowledge of Sean McVay’s complex offense and his cerebral ability to pick up blitzes as a pass protector. Brown also was L.A.’s best runner in goal-line situations, finishing with five rushing touchdowns on the year — 10 over the last two seasons.

With Cam Akers emerging as a workhorse running back at the end of last season, the Rams did not have a need to bring back Brown in free agency. However, the 27-year-old Brown still has some gas left in the tank as an experienced, complementary back in a young running back rotation.

That's a key word there right at the end. Rotation.

Maybe that's what the Dolphins have in mind at running back after all.