Coming into the offseason, it was clear that Kyren Williams and Blake Corum would once again be the Los Angeles Rams’ top two backs. But behind them, there was expected to be a competition between Ronnie Rivers and Jarquez Hunter for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.
It hasn’t been much of a battle because Rivers has sat out both preseason games, while Hunter has gotten a lot of work in each contest. There’s little doubt that Rivers will be backing up Williams and Corum this season, especially after how highly Sean McVay spoke of him on Tuesday.
McVay was asked about the value that Rivers brings as a versatile running back, and he started out by saying how much he trusts him in the backfield – as a runner, receiver and blocker.
“Yeah, it's huge,”
he said. “You guys heard me say, I was asked about this the other day, trust is a big word. I trust Ronnie Rivers. I trust that he knows what he's doing. I trust his instincts. I trust his ability to be able to be effective in pass protection, get the ball where it's supposed to go in our different run schemes and be a functional extension of the pass game whether he's on a scat release or whether he is a check down, he has got a good feel of the screen game. Ronnie Rivers is a guy that you're very appreciative of. We’ve got two great running backs in Kyren and Blake that are going to be building on what they've done, but if for whatever reason they need to be supplemented, Ronnie Rivers is the guy that I trust.”
That last sentence is telling. If Williams or Corum were to go down, it would be Rivers stepping up, not Hunter. That was the case last year, too; Rivers even got seven snaps in the NFC title game against the Seahawks, which was a reflection of the trust McVay has in him.
Even as the third back, Rivers had just nine carries last season, with Hunter playing zero offensive snaps. So it’s not as if there was much room for either player to contribute on offense.
But heading into this season, Hunter is seemingly on the roster bubble because of how much the Rams trust Rivers as the No. 3 guy. McVay may not have the same level of confidence in Hunter, a second-year back out of Auburn. And as exciting as Hunter’s skill set is, if McVay can’t trust him to execute runs and blocks as designed, he probably won’t play.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay explains what makes Ronnie Rivers so valuable to Rams
