It could be a mistake for Rams to extend Kyren Williams
Two key pieces of news surrounding the Los Angeles Rams broke this week from NFL team meetings.
Both ideas seem risky with significant downside, so let’s dive a little deeper.
1 – Potential contract extension for Kyren Williams
The front office plans to meet with Williams’ representation this week to start the conversation on a potential contract extension. Williams has been a hit for the team and has outproduced and outplayed his status as a former fifth-round draft selection.
But the best aspect of Williams value is that he’s able to be a workhorse back on a cost-controlled rookie deal. He’s probably earned an extension, though committing more money to him tips the scales in the other direction.
Les Snead from NFL annual league meeting:
Kyren’s a great human, we all want this to work out, it’s just, can we agree upon a contract where we both feel like (it) is a win-win moving forward,” Snead said. “And if it doesn’t happen this year, it doesn’t mean that Kyren’s not going to be a part (of the Rams) next year. It doesn’t mean we don’t do something a year from now.
I outlined in February what I thought would be a palatable model for a new contract. There are about a half dozen running backs that make over $12M per season. If Williams can slot in behind that group and the Rams hold fast at the $10M range—where players like Joe Mixon, James Conner, David Montgomery, and Derrick Henry currently are—there’s truly not much risk in a new deal. This type of deal wouldn’t break the bank or restrain the team from making additional moves in the future.
By coming to the negotiation table a year before Williams’ current contract expires, they risk sending signals that the player belongs in the top echelon of the position. Simply put, while Williams plays a lot of snaps for the Rams, he has inherent flaws in his game. Los Angeles needs a strong second back that can compliment his skillset and introduce an element of explosiveness in both the run and pass game. This is why the Montgomery contract makes sense as a comparison, plus inflation.
You could certainly do a lot worse than Williams at running back; however, you could also do much better. The Rams would be wise to keep that in mind when they set the parameters for a potential new contract.
2 – Coleman Shelton was signed to start at center
One fair complaint you can have about the Rams’ coaching staff in recent years is that they don’t always put the best 22 starters on the field. That has certainly been the case for someone like Tutu Atwell—who the team is paying $10M to return for 2025—who ceded significant snaps to Demarcus Robinson a year ago.
It will be worth keeping an eye on Coleman Shelton and Beaux Limmer this year to see if the Rams have their heads in the right place when it comes to the center position.
Les Snead from NFL annual league meeting:
What we missed with Coleman when he left was that able to communicate to all of our young OL, and maybe even our veterans.
Beaux Limmer did an unbelievable job evolving into becoming the starting center, but I’ve often said he was a freshman and working amongst a bunch of PHD’s. So there was an element where you missed, not necessarily in what he was doing, but in what the center does for other people.
Beaux Limmer was good for a sixth-round rookie. His success makes for a feel-good story. However, in the biggest moment of last season there were communication lapses along the offensive line that left one of the best interior defenders in the NFL, Philadelphia Eagles DT Jalen Carter, unblocked and free to hit Matthew Stafford.
What do the Rams truly have in Beaux Limmer? Well, he ranked 26th of 29 centers this past season according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). PFF also ranked Limmer as the worst in terms of pass blocking and charted him with the second-most penalties at the position with 10.
There’s no question that the Rams risk stunting the growth of a potential diamond in the rough by relegating him to the bench and starting Shelton. Whether the risk pays off remains to be seen.
Still, it’s not like Shelton is much of a sure thing. He’s started a lot of football over the last three seasons, but the Chicago Bears wasted no time in replacing him in on the open market. They gave Drew Dalman of the Atlanta Falcons the biggest free agent contract at the position.
Of all centers with at least 644 snaps last season, Shelton ranked 9th of 28. His PFF grade of 66.4 ranked closely with Cam Jurgens (65.6), Cooper Beebe (65.4), and Jake Brendel (65.0). That’s certainly an upgrade over Limmer before accounting for any second-year growth. It’s not as clear-cut of a decision as it seems on paper.
While starting Limmer in 2025 could result in short-term pain, he has the potential to be the Rams’ long-term starting center. Putting Shelton in the lineup for next season might just be a band-aid that jeopardizes the best interests of the team in the future.
