THOUSAND OAKS — Last week, Myles Gaskin got a call from his parents.

The veteran running back had spent the first five weeks of the season bouncing back and forth between the Minnesota Vikings’ active roster and practice squad, after a year of limited use in Miami. His parents weren’t used to him not playing, and they wanted to check up on him and make sure he was holding up all right.

“Them just trying to tell me to keep my head up for this journey. This is what I always wanted since I was a kid, so just the ups and downs of it,” Gaskin said. “They always keep it real with me. They just told me to keep my head up, stay true to your process. My dad is always huge, but my mom is always speaking life into me.”

And speaking good things into existence for her son, too. A week later, Gaskin got the call that, after a pair of running back injuries, the Rams wanted to sign him to their active roster.

It’s an ideal situation for Gaskin. The chance to earn some snaps while Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers recover from injury. A return to the West Coast for a Seattle native.

“My eyes lit up, just very excited to be back on the West Coast, close to family,” Gaskin said. “This is a great organization and I’m just excited to help and do what I can. Being back on an active roster is very much a blessing.”

Gaskin was a productive player in his first three seasons in Miami. He gained 972 total yards in 2020 and scored seven touchdowns the following season. But a crowded backfield led to him playing in just four games in 2022, carrying the ball in two of those contests.

As he navigated that disappointment and the inability to find a spot on an active roster this preseason, he looked to former teammates like journeyman Vince Biegel for inspiration.

“The biggest thing I took away from that was just stay true to your process, stay true to your work,” Gaskin said. “That’s what got you to the league and that’s what’s going to keep you in the league.”

When he got the call early Monday morning that he was going to be a Ram, Gaskin began to pack immediately.

“I was like let’s get this going, let’s get up out of Minnesota,” Gaskin said. “I love Minnesota, I appreciate everything over there but I was excited to come to L.A. and the opportunity I’ve been afforded.”

Gaskin has some familiarity with the Rams’ offensive system. Head coach Sean McVay and his Miami counterpart Mike McDaniel stem from the same coaching tree, while Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator from 2020-2021.

Related Articles

While he is comfortable with some of the concepts and verbiage, Gaskin is trying to treat the playbook with an open mind as he goes about learning the new offense.

“He’s been a good player in this league,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “I’ve been hearing from McDaniel about what kind of guy he is, [assistant head coach] Jimmy Lake about what kind of guy he is. In the 24 hours I’ve known him, it’s holding true right now. So if he gets his opp, I know the game’s not going to be too big for him.”

He’s one of four options that could handle the football for the Rams on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Gaskin is happy to be in consideration after how his season began.

“Just ready to make plays and whatever Coach asks me to do, I’m more than willing to do it,” Gaskin said. “I feel like the stars aligned for me to get here. I was just talking to my parents about the situation and all that stuff just about a week ago so it’s crazy to end up in L.A.”