The Los Angeles Rams could be in trouble at the running back position, as two key players went out with injuries Sunday. What is the extent of the injuries to Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers?
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Rams Running Back Depth in Trouble
Williams found success as the starting running back for the Rams. He has had two 100-yard games this season and tallied 158 yards on 20 carries Sunday in a win against the Arizona Cardinals.
MORE: Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart
Initially playing behind Cam Akers, Williams impressed enough that the Rams opted to trade the former second-round pick. On the season, Williams has amassed 456 yards on 97 attempts, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
Williams left early during Sunday’s game against the Cardinals due to an ankle injury. He suffered the injury in the fourth quarter and was listed as questionable to return by the Rams. The RB left without a boot but underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
On Monday, an MRI revealed an ankle sprain that could potentially knock him out of the team’s next matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
#Rams RB Kyren Williams, who rushed for 158 yards and a TD yesterday, suffered an ankle injury and is getting an MRI, per @RapSheet.
The Notre Dame product has been a big part of LA’s offense this year.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 16, 2023
Backup RB Rivers also suffered an injury in the Week 6 matchup. In the third quarter, he exited the game with a knee ailment and didn’t return. The injury is reportedly a Grade 3 PCL sprain, and he’s expected to miss four to five weeks.
Rivers put up 57 rushing yards on 13 attempts so far this season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
Assuming Rivers misses time, rookie Zach Evans will see more snaps. While Williams is expected to be back sooner than Rivers, the team would be in trouble this week if he indeed has to sit out due to the ankle sprain and Evans steps into the starting role.
Evans played six snaps and had four carries for 10 yards in the win Sunday. The rookie out of Ole Miss was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and showed potential as an athletic and quick running back in college.
Evans was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and put up 936 rushing yards on 144 carries during his final collegiate season. Sunday was his first appearance in the NFL.
This pair of injuries could be a major blow to the Rams. Even if Rivers is the only one of the two to miss an extended amount of time, the lack of depth and the prospect of throwing a rookie into the backup role could cause the run game to struggle.
The Rams went on a shopping spree at Dollar Tree, bringing in three veteran backs to compete for carries while Williams is out. Darrell Henderson is a familiar name to Rams fans who remember the former 2019 third-round selection. Henderson paired with Akers in previous seasons, but he never built enough consistency to stick. It’s fair to question how much Henderson has left in the tank.
The Rams also signed Royce Freeman. Analytics fans drooled over the former Oregon Duck when he entered the league. He’s more of a straight-line runner and offers little lateral juice, but he could be used as the thumper around the goal line in the short term.
But wait, there’s more. The Rams signed former Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings RB Myles Gaskin, who is a bizarro-Royce Freeman in the sense that he isn’t physically gifted, but he has made the most of his ability. These backs don’t have the ceiling to provide any juice to the Rams’ offense long-term.