Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams’ workhorse role looks safe, but the team may slightly reduce his carry count following a career-high 316 rushes in 2024.
Williams’ rushing attempts ranked third-most in the NFL this past season behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, and were almost 100 more carries than his 2023 total. His 350 total touches also ranked third among all skill position players behind those two.
Williams isn’t just one of the rushing attempts leaders, but he’s on the field more than any other running back, as noted by Ian Hartitz.
So, after the Rams just handed Williams a new three-year deal, it would make sense that they’d like to keep the 25-year-old’s legs as fresh as possible so early in his career.
Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur hinted that the team may “distribute” those carries out a little more, perhaps between backups Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter.
“He’d say he could go for double that and if anyone could, it probably is him,” LaFleur said. “The plan is to split those up a little bit and distribute, whether it’s the run or the pass game, and making sure people are involved within the scheme. He’s a team guy. He’ll do whatever’s asked. When his number’s called, we all know Kyren is going to show up on Sundays.”
Again, this would make a lot of sense for the Rams to spread the wealth among their skill position players. Corum looked solid in the preseason as a between the tackles bruiser, while Hunter is an explosive runner that can give the Rams offense more burst than Williams and Corum.
LaFleur had this to say about Corum on Wednesday.
“I think he’s doing what you’d hope a second-year guy would do, steps in the right direction, understanding just the speed of this game and what it’s going to take to play running back,” he said. “He’s made of all the right stuff. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him, not that we even have to ask too much of him because he’s wired the right way. I thought he had a good preseason. Obviously, we left him out of that third game right there. He’s had a really good training camp. He’ll get his opportunities come Week 1.”
The Rams finished 15th in the league in passing attempts and 17th in rushing attempts, so the team was already pretty balanced. But if the Rams want to insulate themselves from injury, it would behoove them to take some pressure off their most important offensive players and give their younger talent more opportunities to grow and develop on the field.
We’ll see how that plays on the field in 2025, though.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams OC Mike LaFleur hints at fewer rushes for RB Kyren Williams in 2025
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
