The St. Louis Rams will play the Detroit Lions later Sunday, but even after three preseason games and months of talk about running-backs-of-the-future it's hard to know just what their role for Isaiah Pead will look like in Week 1 of the 2012 season. Pead, the Rams' second-round pick and ostensible foil to Steven Jackson, only saw consistent success as a return man in the preseason, struggling mightily in his first offensive carries before breaking through in the preseason's final game.
With all that in mind, he did manage to stay ahead of seventh-round preseason-hero Daryl Richardson on the depth chart, and as the backup running back he'll be doing something on offense while the Rams try to keep Steven Jackson's carries down. The question has morphed, to his benefit, from, "Will he do something?" to "What will he be doing?"
But we still don't know what he will be doing. Provided the Rams' offense remains close enough to the Detroit Lions' on Sunday to keep the rushing game on the table, we'll get to see what a talented rookie with two functioning legs will be able to do in the Cadillac Williams role.
For more updates on Sunday's Rams vs. Lions game, and up-to-the-minute score, fantasy, and injury updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis's Rams-Lions storystream.