Rams' 25 most important players for 2025 – No. 7: RB Kyren Williams
While perhaps not the most explosive or dynamic running back, Williams makes the Rams much better when he's healthy and on the field. It's why he's near the top of our list of the 25 most important players on the Rams' roster heading into 2025.
How he got here
Williams was the 164th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, entering the league as a fifth-rounder out of Notre Dame. The Rams saw him as a potential playmaker after a productive career with the Irish and if not for injuries during his rookie year, he might've gotten a chance to contribute right away in his first season.
2024 stats
16 games (16 starts): 316 carries, 1,299 yards, 14 touchdowns, 34 receptions, 182 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns
Projected role
Though Williams may face some competition from Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter, he's still in line to be the starting running back. Rams RBs coach Ron Gould said Williams improved his explosiveness this season, which is encouraging to hear, but Corum and Hunter could eat into his carries a little bit if the big plays don't come early in the season.
As long as Williams keeps playing the way he has in the last two years, he'll continue getting 15-plus carries a game. He's the definition of a workhorse, toting it 544 times since the start of 2023 alone, taking on a massive workload in the backfield – and that's without even accounting for his pass-blocking snaps.
Why he's important
When Williams is on the field, the Rams are 18-10 in the regular season since 2023. In the 4 games he missed due to injury, they were 1-3, all coming in the 2023 campaign. He's valuable to the entire operation of the offense, not just from a rushing perspective. He's fairly reliable in pass protection, is always willing to grind out the tough yards in short-yardage situations and has good enough hands to catch passes out of the backfield.
There's certainly room for improvement but when Williams is on the field, the Rams are a better team. He's scored 31 touchdowns in the last two years alone, which means he's put up a lot of points for the Rams, making up for some of their red zone struggles through the air.
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