St. Louis Rams roster battles: Backup running back

The St. Louis Rams will run the ball a lot this season; it's a forgone conclusion. While it's hard to predict how well the passing game will do, the running game should be good to go. Starter Zac Stacy will return as the lead back and he could eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in his second season.

So, Stacy will be the starting running back for the Rams, but he was banged up a few times last season so the backup position is really important. And unlike the starting spot the backup position is open.

Benny Cunningham

When the Rams drafted Tre Mason in the third round a couple of months ago, Cunningham was the forgotten man. It's not a surprise that he's been forgotten since Cunningham was a undrafted rookie free agent and current starter Zac Stacy basically stole the show. When it was time for Cunningham got his chances last year while Stacy dealt with injuries, he filled in nicely with solid games against the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears.

Cunningham is an interesting running back. His style is similar to Stacy. So far in camp, he's held on firmly to the primary backup role, but things could change once the preseason begins. The Rams didn't draft Mason not to play him.

Tre Mason

Mason is  a talented running back who could potentially contend for the starting spot, but the Rans are going to make Mason work for his position. I think the plan is simple for Mason, let him get used to the offense and see if he can separate from the other backs. If Mason plays well in the preseason, he could become the backup to Stacy. When Mason was drafted head coach Jeff Fisher mentioned that Mason will be a change of pace back, which means that he and Stacy can coexist.

Isaiah Pead

So Pead doesn't have a great chance of becoming the backup running back. No surprise since he's basically a special teams guy now. However, he has seen a few snaps with the second team offense in camp. He presents a different running style than Stacy, but it seems as though the second rounder from 2012 will either stick because of special teams or he will be released.