Daryl

Richardson

He’s the younger brother of Bengals RB Bernard Scott. One pick removed from Mr. Irrelevant, Richardson ran a 4.46 40 at Abilene Christian’s Pro Day, and weighs in at a slippery 5-foot-10, 192 pounds. He’s unlikely to crack the Rams’ 53-man roster, but should get a year to develop on the practice squad.

Richardson suffered the injury at June minicamp. He’s resumed practicing as he attempts to make the Rams as a No. 3 back behind Steven Jackson and Isaiah Pead. Coach Jeff Fisher talked up Richardson as a speed back with potential: “He’s very explosive. Because of his speed, he can get to the outside zone.”

Richardson (12 touches, 55 yards) played extensively with Sam Bradford and the starters while Pead entered primarily with the second-team offense. While it was nice to finally see Pead playing with confidence, Richardson did nothing to lose ground. The two will both see action behind Steven Jackson, leaving the starter without an obvious handcuff.

Durability and the jump from D-2 are Richardson’s biggest question marks, but Rams coach Jeff Fisher has a history of success with sub-200-pound running backs and Richardson landed in a terrific spot. He’s the favorite to open the season as St. Louis’ No. 3 back, behind Steven Jackson and fellow rookie Isaiah Pead. Richardson goes 5-foot-10, 195. He ran 4.47 at the Abilene Pro Day.

Coach Jeff Fisher singled out Richardson for praise after watching film of the third preseason game. “He’s not making mistakes. He feels good,” said Fisher. “He’s explosive and you just kind of wait for that one that goes to the house.” If Steven Jackson misses time this season, Richardson and Pead would likely split the workload.

We caught notice of Richardson because he saw action with the Rams’ first team, mixing in behind Steven Jackson and Isaiah Pead. Richardson outplayed the higher-rated Pead, staying north-south more. Built like Chris Johnson at 5-foot-10, 196 with dreads, Richardson has 18 carries for 86 yards (4.78 YPC) and a touchdown, plus two catches for 16 yards in St. Louis’ last two preseason games. He’s worth grabbing in deep Dynasty leagues already.

Pead has clearly been overtaken by more-impressive seventh-round rookie Daryl Richardson, who played 43 snaps and rushed 15 times for 83 yards while catching two passes for 19 more. Richardson did lose a fumble, but for now he’s obviously ahead of Pead on the depth chart. Jackson’s status for Week 3 at Chicago is uncertain. On his first 17 NFL carries, Richardson has 103 yards (6.06 YPC) and should be prioritized over Pead on waiver-wire lists.

Jackson said he felt a strain in his groin during the second quarter drive that ended with his unsportsmanlike penalty. “I felt I was going to be able to come back and play. But as I was standing on the sidelines, it started to bother me more and more,” he said. “We were just real cautious with it and made sure we didn’t make it any worse than what it is.” Rookie backup Daryl Richardson is the clear handcuff here.

Backing up a banged-up Steven Jackson, Richardson couldn’t find any holes against the Seahawks’ elite run defense, gaining more than two yards on only three of his six carries. Richardson showed promise against the Redskins’ embattled defense in Week 2, but has otherwise been quiet as S-Jax’s primary backup. He remains a pure handcuff in fantasy leagues.

Richardson racked up 44 of his yards on the Rams’ second play from scrimmage, nearly reeling off a 75-yard touchdown. He found himself in an even timeshare with Steven Jackson all afternoon, however, spelling S-Jax for two entire series while even vulturing a goal-line carry. It was a promising day for the seventh-round rookie, though one that was likely game-plan specific, as the Rams were focused on beating Miami’s imposing run defense with speed and shiftiness. Richardson is emerging as one of the league’s more heavily worked backups, but is unlikely to be nearly 50-50 with S-Jax against the Packers’ less fierce run unit in Week 7.