Veteran running back C.J. Anderson was one of the primary reasons that the Los Angeles Rams came out of the NFC and earned a spot in Super Bowl LIII last season.
Signed off the street after backup Malcolm Brown was lost for the season and with Todd Gurley battling an injury back in December, Anderson put up 488 rushing yards in five games with the Rams.
That included a 123-yard performance in a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Unfortunately for Anderson and the Rams, it looks like his career in Southern California is over. On Friday, Los Angeles matched the Detroit Lions’ offer sheet to the above-mentioned Brown.
It led to some cryptic tweets from Anderson later in the day. While the Pro Bowl running back later noted that said tweets had nothing to do with the Rams, he also seemingly said his goodbyes to the team on Saturday.
Paying Gurley and Brown a combined $11 million against the cap in 2019, it makes little sense for the Rams to re-sign Anderson. They just don’t have the cap room to pay him fair-market value.
It previously seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Anderson would return to the Rams. Now, during the second wave of free agency, interest in his services should pick up here soon.