Rams running back Malcolm Brown producing as runner and receiver

Todd Gurley and Benny Cunningham will get the bulk of the work when the season begins, but Malcolm Brown is also solidifying a spot in the Rams’ running back corps.

Tre Mason’s absence has provided Brown with increased opportunities and he has excelled in two exhibition games.

Brown rushed for 68 yards in 12 carries and also caught a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs. The week before, he rushed for 66 yards in eight carries against the Dallas Cowboys.

Against the Chiefs, Brown scored on a pass from rookie quarterback Jared Goff. Brown ran into the right flat and then had to twist his body to control the ball with his left hand before securing it while running into the end zone.

The pass appeared to be off target, but Brown did not see it that way.

“Jared, he put it to where nobody else could get it,� Brown said after the game. “It was my job to make the catch.�

Brown played at Texas and signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent last year. Coach Jeff Fisher said Brown’s performance is a continuation of what he showed during the 2015 exhibition season.

“When he doesn’t get a crease, he creates space,� Fisher said. “One of the ways you evaluate young running backs – and all running backs, for that matter – is the yards after contact, we call them the violent yards. What happens after the first hit?

“You can see what’s happening with him, extending plays. You turn around and look and it’s second-and-one or it’s a first down, he’s running, breaking tackles, he’s got great balance, he’s a heavy runner.�