Dean Connors has given the Los Angeles Rams all they can handle when it comes to filling out their running backs room on NFL roster cutdown day this weekend.
He’s not going to be RB1 or RB2 on this team with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum firmly entrenched in those spots, but his preseason performances have certainly been an encouraging sign of what he could offer this team should he make the final 53-man roster.
Will he?
There’s no doubt it will be a tough ask for the undrafted rookie out of Houston.
But in the following few clips, you can see why so many fans are clamoring for No. 33 to get a shot with the club this year.
Connors led the Rams in rushing in their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, posting 69 yards on 18 carries in a 20-18 win. He’s a stocky back, standing 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, but he runs with an impressive smoothness. In the following clip, watch how fluidly he breaks to the outside for a first-down gain.
The Rams aren’t hiding the run here. Twin tight ends to the left of the formation (from the quarterback’s viewpoint) with C.J. Daniels motioning to an in-line insert as well. The play flows to the right, opening up a cutback lane left with space. One of those tight ends washes out the defensive end and Connors swiftly cuts and bounces to the outside without slowing his momentum.
Then, he has the speed to beat a cornerback to the boundary and nets a 12-yard gain. A quick-twitch cut and a second gear to create an explosive. That sounds like a set of traits Sean McVay would love to get in the mix, given how aggressively the Rams seek out explosive plays.
Vision and patience are something else about Connors that stands out.
It can’t be emphasized enough how helpful it is to have an offensive line that is just wrecking shop in front of a ball carrier. The Chargers are getting blown off the ball here. But even with a line like that, there are countless examples of NFL running backs, both guys on the fringes and ones who make final rosters, who don’t have the patience to wait for the best possible running lane.
Connors is willing to wait, though, and responds quickly once that hole opens. Instead of trying to play battering ram and ither running into his own man or trying to bounce outside too early, he stays in phase with his blockers and takes the easy gain straight ahead. He makes a quick cut right, then lets off the gas so he doesn’t outrun the blocking. It seems simple, but if you watch the league (or the players out of college entering it), it’s much easier said than done.
Then there’s the toughness. Who doesn’t want that in a running back?
The Rams have built this offense line with the idea that the interior players can use their massive size and strength to overwhelm defensive linemen and linebackers, clearing room for their backs. It led to one of the most efficient rushing attacks in the NFL history last year, statistically speaking.
But when your running back can add an extra dash of toughness it only helps matters more. Credit goes to the offensive line here for creating plenty of space for Connors to work with, but once again he sees the correct alley immediately and, most importantly, he finishes the run. He sheds a linebacker and bounces off a pursuing defensive back to gain a couple extra yards, finishing with seven on the play.
Again, this is not someone who is going to usurp Williams or Corum on the depth chart. And even if he doesn’t make the initial 53, he’s a no-doubt practice squad candidate and, given the modern elevation rules, it’s fair to assume he’d get some run at some point this season.
But when you find an undrafted talent with good vision, quick decision making and plus fluidity, it’s hard to pass that up. For a team that loves to hunt big plays, Connors could be a useful weapon in 2026.
