Over the past few offseasons, the Los Angeles Rams have invested in the running back position. Last year, they used a third-round pick and drafted Blae Corum out of Michigan. This past offseason, they drafted Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round and extended Kyren Williams as a top-1o player at the position.
Despite all of the investment at running back, Rams head coach Sean McVay remains committed to one guy and one guy only. That player is Williams who rushed 18 times for 66 yards and a touchdown
in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. Williams averaged 3.7 yards per carry and 3.4 yards after contact. His -0.3 rushing yards over expected per attempt ranked 21st among qualified running backs and his 0.6 rushing EPA per attempt ranked ninth. Williams had a 44 percent success rate which was 14th among running backs in Week 1.
This is who Williams is. He gets what is available as seen in his -0.3 rushing yards over expected per attempt. Williams is a player that’s consistently going to hit a single. Last season, he was the only running back with exactly zero RYOE. It was a tough run defense, but also a defense that was susceptible to giving up explosive plays in the run game, Williams had zero explosive plays in the run game and his longest carry went nine yards.
Throughout the offseason, there was speculation that in order to keep Williams fresh, the Rams may utilize Corum in the offense more. In Week 1, Williams took 18 of the team’s 19 carries and played 81.7 percent of the snaps at running back. The Rams did get Jordan Whittington and Puka Nacua involved in the run game, but Williams took 94.7 percent of the rushing attempts at running back.
Corum’s one carry came with 40 seconds to play in the third quarter. If Corum is only getting one carry per game, it becomes long overdue to start questioning why the Rams thought it was necessary to take a running back in the third round when they did.
This isn’t to say that the Rams need to have a 50-50 split at running back. The Rams paid Williams to be their top running back and he should get that workload. At the same time, there should be more than an 18-1 split. Corum should be getting between 20-30 percent of the team’s carries which would give him 4-6 carries per game. If the Rams are going to keep Williams fresh over a 17 game season, Corum needs to get involved more in the offense.
There seems to be this idea that Corum doesn’t get snaps because he isn’t good or can’t be trusted in pass protection. With that said, it’s worth noting that among running backs with at least five pass-blocking snaps in Week 1, Williams ranked 20th out of 22 and allowed the most quarterback pressures via PFF. His 71.4 pass-blocking efficiency rating was last.
Williams has his moments in pass protection that stand out, but he’s also not a plus player in that regard either. With Corum in year two in the offense and another full offseason, it should be expected that he would have a better understanding of protections at this point.
It’s very possible that the Rams opted to primarily go with Williams because of the opponent. The expectation should be that Corums get more involved as the season progresses, especially in Week 2 when the Rams take on the Tennessee Titans.
Throughout his tenure with the Rams, when McVay likes a running back, he tends to stick with them. Outside of a few stretches, McVay has always tended to utilize one player in the run game. However, long-term, it may be better for the offense to utilize more than just one running back. A player like Corum adds a different element and variety to the run game that it currently doesn’t have. The Rams run game is currently one-speed, pitching fastballs. Adding Corum to the mix at least provides an added changeup and different running style that the defense has to adjust to.
Week 1 is only one game and the usage against the Texans may not be an indicator of what the plan is over the course of the season. Williams is clearly the featured piece and the heartbeat of the Rams’ backfield. Still, if the Rams want to keep Williams healthy and add more variety to their rushing attack, they need to be more dynamic and get both players involved.
