Can Rookie Kyren Williams Claim Rams Top Spot At Running Back?

With top wideout Cooper Kupp expected to miss several weeks with a high ankle sprain, Williams has the chance to emerge as a dual threat in the Rams offense.

With the Los Angeles Rams’ offense already on its heels in the wake of their 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the loss of top wideout Cooper Kupp to a high ankle sprain has the potential to be a knockout blow.

Los Angeles placed Kupp on injured reserve on Tuesday after learning that he would undergo tightrope surgery to repair his sprain. While an IR designation requires him to miss at least four weeks, several reports indicate that surgery of this type may yield a recovery time of five-six weeks.

Should Kupp indeed be sidelined for the foreseeable future, L.A's offense will need a complete team effort to pick up the slack. Though most will point to the Rams receivers to carry the burden, it may present an opportunity for a dual-threat rookie running back to emerge as a notable option on offense.

Despite being sidelined for all but one Week 1 snap with an ankle injury, Williams returned to the Rams lineup on Sunday. The Notre Dame product performed reasonably well for his first meaningful pro-level action, carrying the ball once for nine yards and catching all three of his targets for 30 yards. While his stat line may not leap from the page, his potential was both recognized and acknowledged by coach Sean McVay.

“I think he did a good job,” McVay told reporters on Tuesday. “I was pleased with him … you saw him get some opportunities towards the latter part of the game. Getting his feet wet in some of that real live competition I think can only benefit him, give him confidence moving forward and we'll continue to see what that looks like for the running back rotation.”

Though he took the field for only 16 snaps, Williams was able to showcase his pass-catching ability on the game’s final drive with three receptions, earning 39 total yards with his limited usage. Prior to the rookie getting the late-game look, fellow backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson combined for just 43 rushing yards on 12 attempts, with Henderson scoring the only touchdown between the trio of running backs. The continued lackluster play of Akers and Henderson may provide Williams with more opportunities heading into a Week 11 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

In any case, McVay sees the potential for the Rams' running backs to step up in Kupp’s absence.

“Yeah, I think that there's a different narrative every single week. I think in a lot of instances, it boils down to the execution and we're getting a lot of the things that we expect and anticipate. There's always a lot of layers and things that go into the running game, but yes, I am. Those are easier questions to answer once you start to really put your head around, ‘Alright, what's the best way that we feel like we want to do it this coming week?’”

The Rams and Saints are set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday, Nov. 20 from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. 

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