The Los Angeles Rams made a remarkable late-season turnaround. After starting off the year 1-4, they went 9-3, and then pulled off an upset over the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round.
However, the playoffs are an especially steep hill for the Rams to climb, after losing their third-round draft pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Blake Corum.
What Is Blake Corum’s Injury?
For the majority of the season, Corum got sporadic touches. While some of it might have been his standing as a rookie, a lot had to do with the explosive season Kyren Williams put together on the ground. However, in Week 18, Corum finally got his chance.
With head coach Sean McVay resting most of the team’s starters against the Seattle Seahawks, the rookie running back was expected to get significant playing time. And he did start off strong, registering 22 yards from scrimmage in his first three touches.
Unfortunately, before he could get his fourth touch, he injured his forearm. While the initial reports had him questionable about returning to the game, the situation worsened since then. Not only did he not return to the game, but his future also looks uncertain.
As it turns out, Corum fractured his forearm and it is going to keep him out of action for the foreseeable future. Even for those hoping for a miracle, Los Angeles put him on IR and the four-game mandate ensures that he isn’t returning this season.
Thankfully, a fractured forearm puts him on the timeline for a return before the 2025 season. It should give him ample time to heal up and resume practices.
Corum ends this season with 207 rushing and 58 receiving yards.
How Has Corum’s Absence Impacted the Rams?
Throughout the year, Corum was getting limited playing time as is. Thanks to an electric season by Williams, with 1,299 rushing yards on the season, Los Angeles boasted the 11th-best offense in the league, according to PFN’s Offense+ metric.
In the playoff game, the offense was humming, dropping 27 points. That was with Williams having a relatively quiet game, totaling 76 yards on 16 carries. He also added 16 yards through the air, including a touchdown.
With Williams’ excellence and the return of both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp to the lineup, Corum’s absence shouldn’t be felt too much for the Rams. However, behind Williams, their ground game is bereft of major talent. So, if Sean McVay wants a different look, finding it might be difficult without Corum.
Corum’s College Football Career
Corum’s college production got off to a bit of a slow start after seeing only 26 carries for 77 yards and two scores his freshman year in a crowded backfield alongside Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet.
Charbonnet decided to transfer to UCLA ahead of the 2021 campaign, which led to a significantly expanded role for Corum heading into his sophomore season. He finished his second year with 1,093 total yards and 12 touchdowns on 167 total touches working alongside Haskins.
As a junior, Corum recorded 1,463 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, but then he tore his meniscus and sprained his MCL in November.
As a result, Corum decided to return for his senior season, and he was unstoppable. He rushed for 1,245 yards and scored 28 total touchdowns (setting Michigan’s single-season record). He was the only FBS player to score at least one touchdown in every game that season.
Corum led Michigan to a title, where he earned National Championship Offensive MVP honors. He ended his collegiate career as the Wolverines’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (58), total touchdowns (61), and points scored.
