Kyren Williams' relentless dedication has fueled a career-best start

Forget extending his 1,000-rushing yards streak to a fourth season. Running back Kyren Williams is off to a career-best start for the 2026 Los Angeles Rams. 

Through four games, Williams has compiled 294 ground yards and three scores on 5.4 yards per carry. His 64.8 percent success rate once again leads the league. 

Already with 173 receiving yards, he is well on his way to surpassing his previous high of 281, which he set in 2025. Boosted by his receiving, Williams is averaging a career-best 116.8 scrimmage yards per game.

According to offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Williams' surge began long before the season started. While it was Williams' backfield partner Blake Corum hogging the headlines with his ferocious workout clips, Scheelhaase singled out Williams, not just in the running back room but on the entire team, as the most dedicated offseason attendant:

"You know what? I would even go outside of the four games that we've played and say that he was to me the most consistent player we had in the building this offseason," Scheelhaase said.

"From OTAS to training camp, that guy came to work every single day, rep after rep, over and over. I don't think he missed a rep, a day. I don't think he had a day where we were like, 'We're going to give Kyren a little bit of a break here.' He has come to work. And so I think you're seeing positive results from what was going on this entire offseason."

Rams' Kyren Williams is firing on all cylinders

Despite the Rams' glut of top-tier playmakers, from receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to their tight ends to quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, Williams has at times carried the offense almost single-handedly. 

An explosive step as a runner. His receiver-like route-running. His eagerness to take on any pass rusher on blocking assignments. While Corum has gone cold and the passing offense bobs up and down, Williams has brought it all. Consistently.

It's his work as a receiver, however, that has peaked his production. In the last two games Williams has 17 catches for 137 yards and has effectively been the team's No. 2 pass-catcher behind either Adams or Nacua. His 6.9 yards per target this season is easily the best mark of his career. 

It's not much of a surprise, honestly, to hear Williams praised for his work ethic and dedication. Rams fans already know him for those qualities, as the quiet leader who puts his head down and delivers. What he lacks in showmanship he makes up for by showing. 

What is a bit surprising is that Williams has also supplied the explosive element LA expected from Corum this year. The two backs developed last season into a complementary tandem: Williams did the heavier lifting on short yardage and goal line scenarios while Corum put up some of the best efficiency metrics in the NFL. 

After a solid two-game start, though, Corum has faded sharply - just 11 carries for 29 yards in Weeks 3 and 4. Against the Eagles he played just 15.5 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps. Williams garnered 83.3 percent of the available reps.

Although Scheelhaase downplayed Corum's slump, the Rams have made their approach quite clear. As long as Williams has the hot hand, they'll continue to ride him. With how he looks right now, that seems like the way to go. 

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