3 running backs Commanders could target after latest rumors

1. Sony Michel

Is Sony Michel still a starting-caliber running back? Probably, but there aren’t many teams in the market for a No.1 RB and he proved with the Los Angeles Rams this season that he might be better suited as a change-of-pace guy.

A former first-round pick of the Patriots, Michel was traded to the Rams during the preseason after Cam Akers tore his Achilles in training camp. Darell Henderson was also banged up at the time, so LA was desperate.

Michel didn’t hit the ground running on the west coast, but he was a driving force of the Rams’ late-season surge that helped them win the NFC West over Arizona and attain the No. 4 seed in the playoff picture.

In late November, Henderson went down with a quad injury as Los Angeles was mired in a three-game losing streak. Not an ideal time for Michel to take over starting duties, but the experienced back helped steady the ship.

From Weeks 12-16, Michel managed 497 yards and three touchdowns on 4.7 yards per attempt. The former Georgia standout churned out two 100-yard efforts during that stretch (three fewer than he tallied in his entire Patriots career) and the Rams, uncoincidentally, won every game.

A five-game stretch obviously doesn’t make Michel a good back. He has three years of starting experience under his belt, has averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his career and his 18 rushing touchdowns are nothing to sniff at.

Michel isn’t a burner in terms of speed, but he’s solid in between the tackles and in short-yardage situations and would be a perfect complement for Gibson, as well as a spot-starter should he suffer an injury or his fumbling woes linger.

Honorable mentions: Melvin Gordon, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ronald Jones, Raheem Mostert, D’Ernest Johnson and Marlon Mack.