Many fans look at their football team as a classic television sitcom. When one episode or season ends, they expect the next to pick up right where it left off. That couldn’t be further from the truth for the Los Angeles Rams, especially at running back.
Kyren Williams has been the bell cow back for the last two seasons and has executed the position admirably. But for multiple reasons, all of which will be laid out below, that won’t be the case in 2025.
The Elephant in the Los Angeles Rams RB Room — Kyren Williams Contract
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Williams and the Rams have yet to agree to a contract extension. This shouldn’t ring alarm bells, just yet. As Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic put it, “If a compromise can be struck, training camp is the usual timeline for such deals under this era of Rams leadership.”
There is no guarantee that the Rams and Williams will find a compromise, which may result in Williams being treated to the same fate as linebacker Ernest Jones was less than a year ago — an unceremonious trade out of Woodland Hills.
While there is time to work out the details, there are a few key details to keep in mind. 1. The Rams have not paid a running back top of market money since Todd Gurley… and they have not had a top running back to whom to pay a hefty sum. That isn’t the case with Williams. His production over the last two years makes him worthy of a big second contract.
On that note, Williams has been playing on a minuscule rookie contract. As any Angelino can tell you, $4 million (before taxes and paying out your agent’s cut) doesn’t afford you a lavish lifestyle in this neck of the woods.
2. Williams has a good amount of leverage over the Rams, considering who is on the depth chart behind Williams. While there is promise, there is a reason Williams led all running backs with 888 total snaps played.
But What About Blake Corum And Co.
LA made Blake Corum the highest drafted Rams running back since Cam Akers, not only to add security and rotation at the position, but as an insurance plan if Williams became too expensive for the team. As noted, the rotation portion was never fully realized.
Was Corum’s extremely limited snap share due to Williams’ excelling at the position, not exactly. Corum most likely rode the bench because he was not fully prepared to take on the workload required at the position, particularly in pass protection. Corum was seen on the sidelines last season charting plays, an exercise often given to players in need of extra study time.
A part of the reason Williams was on the field so much was to add protection for Matthew Stafford. Williams led all running backs with 179 snaps in pass protection, 69 more than any other running back. Only four running backs in the league had more than 69 snaps in pass pro in total. There were times that Williams lined up directly in the A gap between the center, Beaux Limmer, and left guard Steve Avila.
The Rams are relying heavily on Corum to take that step forward, whether to take the load off Williams or move into the void left if no deal is struck
As for Jarquez Hunter, more will be revealed about the Rams’ plan for the explosive, yet inconsistent runner during training camp. If the Rams are able to strike enough balance on offense to rotate the backfield, Hunter’s game-breaking ability will be put to the test.
Rams Training Camp: Running Game — A Central Figure in 2025
It seemed that Sean McVay had rediscovered his love of the running game over the last two seasons — enough so that he reshaped the offensive line from a zone-based scheme to a power run game. But having one player (Williams) or one kind of player (Corum and Williams) doesn’t offer much dynamism. Perhaps Hunter can offer that.
That was on display last year. On passing downs, teams knew they wouldn’t have to account for Williams as a receiver. On rushing downs, they knew they could stack the box and limit Williams to a small gain.
McVay will still get the job done with Stafford and Co. through the air, but the Rams’ playoff success will be determined by nailing this aspect in the next few weeks during training camp.
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