Report: Lions sign Malcolm Brown to offer sheet, Rams can match

The Los Angeles Rams could be in danger of losing running back Malcolm Brown, who’s a restricted free agent. After taking a visit with the Detroit Lions, Brown has been signed to an offer sheet, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

This doesn’t mean the Rams have lost Brown, but it does make things more complicated for Los Angeles. The Rams now have five days to match the Lions’ offer to Brown, but if they don’t, he’ll join Detroit.

If they do match, they have to pay him the amount that the Lions offered him, thus retaining him for the 2019 season.

This is interesting: RFA RB Malcolm Brown was signed to an offer sheet by the #Lions, source said. 5 days to match.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 19, 2019

The Rams have questions at running back with Todd Gurley reportedly suffering from arthritis, while C.J. Anderson is also a free agent. If the Rams lose both players, it would be a significant blow to the backfield in L.A.

Because the team tendered him at the original-round level – and because Brown was an undrafted free agent – the Rams won’t get any compensation in return if they don’t match the Lions’ offer.