Rams RB Kyren Williams has a lot to live up to in Week 9 against the Saints

The Los Angeles Rams extended running back Kyren Williams on a three-year deal worth $33 million. While not a deal that breaks the bank, it is a solid investment in a solid contributor. But after what appeared to be a bargain-basement deal has started to fade into the gray area of fog.

After averaging 13 rushing touchdowns in the past two seasons, Williams is on pace to rush for five touchdowns this season. Even if you roll teammate Blake Corum's touchdown, the pair is on pace for just seven touchdowns this season.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

It's not as though Williams has been ineffective. His 472 rushing yards so far in seven games have him on track to match his 2023 output of 1,144 rushing yards. But he only needed 228 carries and 11 games to generate that offense then. Worse still, he rushed for 12 touchdowns in that season. He is lagging behind this year, on pace to carry the football 260 times..

Kyren Williams has a lot to live up to in Week 9 against the Saints

Williams is LA's feature running back, and he can be counted on to gain plenty of yards on the ground with enough work. But the team needs better ball security from the former Notre Dame rusher. He fumbled the football five times last season and lost three of them. He has already fumbled twice in seven games, losing both.

That's a nasty pace of losing five fumbles this year.

But ball security is not the only concern. While his average yards per carry has improved over 2024, it's still trailing his 2023 5.0 yards per carry by a considerable margin. That means that to get similar yards of offense, he will need the football more often. That's not a great recipe for success for a player who is struggling to find the handle on the football.

While his lack of touchdowns is new, his lack of explosive plays is not. So far, his longest running play out of 107 carries this year is 20 yards. That's something that the team also hoped might improve this year, but has regressed so far.

Sadly, the team drafted Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter to help solve those challenges on offense. To date, he has yet to touch the football.

The offense is mixing backup running back Blake Corum into the rotation and getting some positive results in doing so. But Williams has been the guy who gets the lion's share of the work, and his production has taken a noticeable dip early this season. In Week 9, Williams has a lot to prove to the team and fans that he deserves to remain the team's bell cow.

Of course, it's early. And Kyren Williams is the type of player who shows up big when the pressure is on. Right now, the pressure is one. Williams will likely be up to the challenge.

If not, the offense has to get rookie running back Jarquez Hunter involved immediately. As always, thanks for reading.