One of the primary discussions this offseason when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams revolves around running back Kyren Williams. With Williams entering the final year of his rookie contract, there has been plenty of talk around how much value he provides to the offense and whether or not the team should give him a second contract.
It’s no surprise when fans of any team overrate their players and that has gotten to be the case with Williams. When it comes to the Rams running back, multiple things can be true at the same time. He is a fine player who helps keep the offense on track and has a knack for scoring touchdowns. Williams has clearly become a player that McVay trusts. At the same time, he is a limited player that struggles breaking away and creating in the open field. It’s because of this that Williams was among the worst in the NFL in explosive run rate last season.
When it comes to running backs, they become very difficult to rank, especially based on stats as they are a position that is heavily dependent on the situation around them. For a running back to have success, they need a good offensive line and scheme. With that combination, it almost becomes a plug and play position. Last season, the Rams ranked ninth in adjusted line yards via DVOA which assigns responsibility to the offensive line. They also ranked sixth in run-blocking via PFF. Over the last two years, Sean McVay has also designed one of the more creative run schemes in the NFL. It’s hard to argue that Williams hasn’t benefitted heavily from the situation around him.
This seems to be what the NFL believes as well. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently surveyed league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank players at all positions with the goal to get a top-10. Williams didn’t finish inside the top-10 and while he received votes, he also was not among the five honorable mentions. The 15 running backs listed were:
- Saquon Barkley
- Derrick Henry
- Jahmyr Gibbs
- Bijan Robinson
- Christian McCaffrey
- Josh Jacobs
- Jonathan Taylor
- James Cook
- Joe Mixon
- Alvin Kamara
- Bucky Irving
- Aaron Jones
- De’Von Achane
- Breece Hall
- James Conner
It’s fair to say that a consideration for Williams could be had anymore from RB9 to RB15 on this list. At the same time, it’s also a good indicator of how the NFL views Williams. Based on pure volume stats, Williams has been a top-5 running back in the NFL over the past two seasons. Last season, he was seventh in yards and sixth in touchdowns. The year before, Williams was third in yards and eighth in touchdowns. Still, those around the NFL seem to be aware of Williams’ limitations.
Removing all RB stats in the red zone in 2024, Rams RB Kyren Williams ranked (out of 39 RBs)…
31st in yards per carry
1 of 17 RBs without a TD
38th in explosive run rate
29th in missed tackles forced/att.
35th in yards after contact/att.— Blaine Grisak (@bgrisakTST) June 26, 2025
On a per attempt basis, Williams’ lack of creativity and efficiency is evident. Excluding his numbers in the red zone, the Rams running back was 31st in yards per carry last season. Williams shouldn’t be rewarded simply because he has volume.
This is all evident when it comes to the contract discussions between the Rams and Williams. Among players not on a rookie contract that are included in the list of 15 players mentioned earlier, the least a player is making is James Conner at $9.5 million per year. Aaron Jones is at exactly $10 million while Joe Mixon is at $9.88 million per year.
While Williams may want $12-$14 million per season, this is a good indicator that Williams likely should not get much more than $10 million. An argument can be made that as a player not considered top-15 at his position, in combination with the draft capital that the Rams have used at running back, they shouldn’t pay him at all.
Williams has one Pro Bowl selection which came last year and was also named a Second-team All-Pro. This is pretty similar to Derrick Henry before he signed his second contract in 2020. Henry was a Second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2019 before signing a four-year, $50 million contract extension. It is worth noting that Henry also won the rushing title that season. The salaries of Mixon, Jones, and Conner likely define Williams’ market. While none had All-Pro selections, they all were selected to the Pro Bowl before signing their second contracts.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the Rams do with Williams and if they sign him to a second contract. However, after two strong seasons, it’s clear that the rest of the NFL doesn’t view Williams as valuable as he is perceived to be inside the Rams building.
