Kyren Williams should still be considered the Rams starting running back even with Blake Corum excitement
One player that caught eyes during OTAs in the spring and early summer was Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Blake Corum. With Kyren Williams missing OTAs due to a minor foot injury, Corum took a majority of the first-team reps that he may not have gotten otherwise. Throughout OTAs, Rams head coach Sean McVay talked highly of the rookie running back and it has had some speculating that Corum could take over for Williams as the team’s starting running back as early as this season.
However, it seems to be forgotten just how good Williams was last season. The Rams offense was night and day when Williams was and wasn’t on the field. In 2023, Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Kyren Williams were all on the field at the same time for 386 plays. On those 386 plays, the Rams averaged .18 EPA per play, which would have been the best offense in the NFL last season and would have tied for the ninth-highest mark since 2000.
Among players with at least 200 carries, Williams averaged 0.1 EPA per rush and had a 47.4 percent success rate which led all running backs. To put it simply, Williams was the most successful running back in the McVay offense since Todd Gurley.
Like most things, this seems to be a situation where multiple things are happening and therefore several things are all true at the same time. It is true that the Rams drafted Blake Corum in the third round who was arguably the best running back in college football last year. With more opportunity due to Williams’ foot injury, Corum consistently impressed the coaching staff. Said McVay of Corum,
“On the offensive side, I’ve been pleased with a lot of guys but Blake Corum has really stood out. Mature beyond his years. I love the way that he handles himself. I love even more how when there’s been a couple of things that didn’t go the way we wanted, how he responded the next play.”
It’s clear that McVay has been pleased with Corum. At the same time, Williams’ foot injury is also the exact reason why the Rams drafted the Michigan running back. What the Rams got in Corum and what McVay talked about following the draft was that both running backs provide some of the same skillset. Corum matches a lot of what Williams provides and is a similar style runner. It’s very likely that the Rams see Corum as someone who can take some of the load off of Williams, but also be the lead back if Williams misses time or goes on IR.
Drafting Corum seems to be much more about planning ahead than it is about replacing Williams in the short-term. At this point, it’s hard to ignore that Williams has missed time each of his two years in the league and was just held out the entirety of OTAs. Corum gives the Rams an insurance plan much more than Royce Freeman or Darrell Henderson did last season.
When it comes to Corum, it’s hard not to feel some Puka Nacua vibes given that both got a lot of opportunity in the summer of their rookie years and consistently garnered praise from the coaching staff. That could lead to more playing time for Corum early. Still, it is worth noting that despite Gurley being less than 100 percent in 2019, Darrell Henderson only had 39 rushing attempts after being drafted in the third round that season.
It should be expected for Corum to have more than 39 carries as a rookie, but the Henderson example is simply to show that the Rams have done this before. Over the past few seasons, there has been early season drama in the running back room. In 2022, Cam Akers was benched and then last year was once again benched before being traded. This isn’t going to be a situation where Williams gets a ceremonial start and then Corum takes the majority of the carries. The dynamic between Williams and Corum will be much more collaborative in the offense.
How much the Rams and McVay like Kyren Williams really can’t be understated. Last season, it became very clear just how much trust and understanding there is between Williams and McVay than with other running backs that have come through the offense since Gurley. Williams became a player that McVay could trust to hit the right holes and gain positive yardage to put the offense in a beneficial position. Williams’ 6.6 tackle for loss percentage was the fourth-lowest in the NFL in 2023. Additionally, Williams showed value in pass protection which is important to McVay.
At the end of the day, the Rams really like Kyren Williams and that comes off with how McVay talks about him. Even during OTAs McVay said of Williams,
“Really even in a walkthrough setting, you always feel his presence. He’s just got such a great energy about himself. He’s so engaged. He’s got a great focus and concentration so we’ll be glad to be able to have him back in practice settings too.”
Williams will still be the primary running back in the Rams offense and he will be the starter. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Williams will play 90 percent of the snaps as he did at times last season. The likely usage here will be Williams getting the first two or three drives of each half and then Corum taking over with a possession of his own. This is how the Rams split the carries towards the end of the year in games against the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints.
Again, there are a few things that can all be true here. Blake Corum has started his rookie campaign on the right foot and there are reasons to be excited about him. Still, Williams is coming off of a great 2023 and as long as he is healthy, he will be the starting running back in the offense.
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