The Detroit Lions have signed running back Malcolm Brown to an offer sheet in free agency, and the young running back hasn't played a huge role for the Los Angeles Rams as one of the team's backups, but he could be primed to do damage for the Lions if they were to add him to the roster. Brown has only been in the NFL a few years, but already has some impressive highlights to his name. Specifically, when you think of Brown, the play you think of is an impressive toe tap move along the sideline for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. It was a sweet catch that led Fox analyst Troy Aikman to proclaim that Brown would start for a lot of teams in the league, even though he's not a starter in Los Angeles. Here's a look at the play: Not only is Brown good out of the backfield catching the ball and running the ball, he can be a hammer in pass protection too, which is something which will undoubtably interest the Lions. Perhaps one of his best plays was a smashing block he threw against the Arizona Cardinals “Malcolm Brown… THAT is how you get it done.”@MallyCat_28 serving pancakes! ?? pic.twitter.com/EAvZ19vGtk — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 17, 2018 Brown, perhaps one of the lesser known runners of the free agency class, is a running back that signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of Texas and was promoted to the 53-man roster in December of that year. As Todd Gurley's backup, Brown has put up 514 rushing yards and a touchdown on 128 carries and 149 receiving yards and a touchdown on 18 catches across four NFL seasons. At this point, the Lions may have spent plenty of money, but they still have more on the docket available to them, still with a top 10 cap total. The Lions will have to dedicate about $7 or $8 million of that total to their draft class, so the real total could be under $20 million. Still, it's a decent chunk of change with which to work at this point in time. Detroit has filled most of their biggest needs, but do still have some to address. Right now, the team could use a linebacker, running back and perhaps a backup quarterback to add to the mix. If they could get that, they would be in an even better place heading into the 2019 draft in April. It will be interesting to see if the Lions are matched by the Rams on Brown, or if the team simply lets him walk when all is said and done. The contract is a reported two year deal worth $3.25 million according to Albert Breer of SI. The defensive line and defensive backfield have several stud players who figure to be around early in the draft, and those are two spots where the Lions could figure to need instant upgrades. Detroit also has needs at tight end, perhaps at wideout and also depth spots on the offense and defense. They also have plenty of draft picks with which to work. Now, they've got flexibility with those picks considering their fast free agency work. The Detroit Lions are pushing into the offseason. Stay up to date with everything --take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Lions newsletter now Combined with a young linebacking group, there is a hope that the Lions could turn into one of the NFL's more elite groups on defense if they are able to continue the arrow trending upward. Certainly, there is reason for hope that could soon be the case, as they've already got a nice place to start with some solid and budding talents on the field. Getting a high draft pick into the mix will help this turnaround further. Interestingly enough, many early mocks have had the Lions looking elsewhere than along the defensive front. Cornerback has also been alluded to as one of the team's bigger draft needs coming up, but that could have been dealt with enough to avoid an early selection. Detroit's next draft, whatever pick they might land, is still going to have to be heavy defensively and also at some of the offensive skill positions. Adding Brown would help the Lions round out their offensive group heading into the 2019 draft, and if he does indeed join the Lions, the team could be getting a budding star in the making.<doc-sep>ALLEN PARK -- The Rams have stiff-armed Detroit’s bid to sign running back Malcolm Brown. The Lions signed Brown, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet reportedly worth $3.25 million over two years. But Los Angeles has chosen to match the offer, and Brown will be returned to the Rams. The 5-foot-11, 222-pound back has 128 carries for 514 yards in four years in L.A. He averaged a career-high 4.9 yards per attempt last year, but went down with a clavicle injury late in the season and finished the year on injured reserve. That’s what forced Los Angeles to sign C.J. Anderson, who turned out to be a key piece in that team’s push to the Super Bowl.<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Rams have five days to decide if they want to match the offer the Detroit Lions gave Malcolm Brown. After the Los Angeles Rams tendered Malcolm Brown, it seemed like only a matter of time before the NFC champions faced a tough decision in trying to decide if it was worth matching an offer with another team for the running back. On Tuesday, this turned out to be exactly the case for the Rams after Brown decided to sign an offer sheet with the Detroit Lions, meaning Sean McVay and company have five days to match the offer, or the backup running back will officially become a part of Matt Patricia’s squad. Despite coming on board as an undrafted free agent back in 2015, Brown has made quite the name for himself over the last two seasons in Los Angeles, as McVay gave him heavy praise right away shortly after coming on board as head coach in 2017. Want your voice heard? Join the Ramblin' Fan team! Write for us! Being the No. 2 running back behind Todd Gurley is never easy since the former Georgia star has proven to be quite a workhorse over the years, but after the knee issues from this past season, the Rams have made it clear they will take a different approach in 2019 for the ground game. As much as Los Angeles wanted to bring C.J. Anderson back into the picture after the veteran’s success towards the end of the 2018 season, and the playoffs, the Rams also seemed confident in Brown being just as great of an option. With this in mind, does it seem like only a matter of time before the Rams decide they need to match the offer with the Lions to make sure Brown continues to be around? This may appear to be the likely scenario, but also Brown seems like a player they could get by without, meaning they should let him walk and join the Lions. Between the possibility of Anderson returning on top of the fact that John Kelly would love the opportunity to take on a heavier workload if needed on offense for Los Angeles, McVay’s team certainly has options to weigh over these next five days. All due respect to Brown since he’s always been a favorite to some fans over the years, but allowing the running back to join the Lions seems like it would be in the best interest for both parties involved, especially the Rams.<doc-sep>Allen Park — The Detroit Lions may or may not have a new running back for the team's backfield rotation. The Lions signed Los Angeles Rams restricted free agent Malcolm Brown to an offer sheet on Tuesday. The deal is reportedly worth $3.25 million. The Rams tendered Brown before the start of free agency giving them five days to match the Lions' offer. Because it was an original-round tender, and Brown went undrafted out of the University of Texas in 2015, the Lions wouldn't be required to forfeit a draft pick if the Rams opt not to match. Los Angeles might not have the funds to bring Brown back. The team entered Tuesday with less than $9 million in cap space before agreeing to a two-year contract with free agent linebacker Clay Matthews, reportedly worth up to $16.75 million. Brown, 25, is listed at 5-foot-11, 222 pounds. In four seasons with the Rams, he's carried the ball 128 times for 514 yards. He's coming off his best season, averaging a career-high 4.9 yards per carry while backing up Todd Gurley. In addition to his contributions in the Rams' backfield, Brown also played a role on special teams, averaging more than 10 snaps per game with the units. He finished last season on injured reserve after suffering a clavicle injury in December. Brown would join a Detroit backfield headed by Kerryon Johnson. The Lions also return Zach Zenner, who re-signed in free agency, and Theo Riddick. jdrogers@detroitnews.com Twitter: @Justin_Rogers<doc-sep>
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 02: Malcolm Brown #34 of the Los Angeles Rams runs for yardage against Darius Slay #23 of the Detroit Lions and Jarrad Davis #40 during the first half at Ford Field on December 2, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) The Detroit Lions signed Los Angeles Rams running back Malcolm Brown to an offer sheet this week. What can he add to the Motor City? The Detroit Lions appear to have found a future star at running back last season when they traded up in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft to select Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson. And despite cracking the century rushing mark twice in his rookie year, Johnson only played in 10 games total due to a knee injury. Injuries will be the young running back’s biggest obstacle to overcome as he has an extensive injury history reaching all the way back to his days in high school. But the Lions knew what they were getting into with Johnson. And they also know they can not rely on him as a workhorse back and they must have a Plan B. The Lions were expected to fill that need this offseason. The team re-signed veteran running back Zach Zenner to a one-year deal earlier this month. Zenner played well in Johnson’s absence at the end of last season, racking up 237 rushing yards and three touchdowns in their final four games. Now, Detroit has taken another step in an effort to secure that position. On Tuesday it was reported that the Lions had signed Los Angeles Rams running back Malcolm Brown to an offer sheet. Brown is a restricted free agent that the Rams opted to tender at his original-round level only. Because Brown was an undrafted free agent signing out of Texas back in 2015, the Lions could add him to their roster without having to give any compensation to the Rams. Los Angeles now has five days to match Detroit’s offer in order to keep Brown. The Detroit Lions adding a career-backup like Malcolm Brown is all about potential. The 25-year old has been in the league for four seasons now and has started in just one game. But he is coming off his best year as a professional, rushing for a career-high 4.9 yards a carry for a total of 212 yards on 43 attempts. In Detroit, the 5-foot-11, 222-pound Brown would likely fill a similar role to the one that LeGarrette Blount did last season for the Lions. The 32-year Blount is currently a free agent.