What more must rookie RB Blake Corum do to earn more carries in Rams offense?

When the LA Rams offense stepped onto the football field for their second possession, they were already trailing on the scoreboard by the score of 3-0. But if not for a missed field goal, and even some key defensive stops to force two field goal attempts, the score could have been much worse. The Rams had gone three-and-out in their first possession, as veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three incompletions to open the game.

The first running back to carry the football was not RB Kyren Williams. The Rams led their ground assault with two consecutive carries by rookie running back Blake Corum. Corum rushed for nine yards with his first carry off the right tackle. He followed that up with another carry to the right for 10 yards.

He would go on to add two yards. Then five yards. Then six yards. But after the offense rolled to the New Orleans Saints 31 yard line, Corum came out and Kyren Williams took over with 11:11 showing on the game clock in the second quarter. Rookie RB Blake Corum had churned out 32 yards in just five carries in that drive. He would only get three more carries the entire game.

My question now is the same as it was then. Why not give Corum more carries?

At games end, the Rams ended up rushing 29 times and passing 24 times. But that balance happened after Stafford dinged up his ankle in the first half. On the afternoon, Stafford was only able to complete 14 of 24 passes (a 58.3 completion rate) for 183 yards and two touchdowns. The rushing by Corum and Williams combined for 23 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown.

Some asked during the game why Corum got the early carries. But that seemed rather logical in the face of his alarming trend of fumbling the football recently. Beyond that, the team justified drafting former Michigan running back Blake Corum so early in the 2024 NFL Draft by projecting him as a change-of-pace relief to Williams. So far this season, Williams has 222 carries. Corum has just 37 carries. If Williams is to have anything left at the season's end, the team has to reroute far more rushes to rookie RB Blake Corum.

Blake Corum entered Week 13 by piling up 19 rushing yards in the first two carries of the game. Clearly, he is both capable and productive rushing behind this Rams offensive line. And he was pulled to the bench after softening up the Saints defense.

His 42 yards gained versus the Saints defense was his best outing yet. To be honest, I don't know what more he can do to earn more carries. It seems to be up to the whims of the coaching staff.

The Rams need offensive weapons, and from everything I've seen so far, rookie running back Blake Corum could be a vital contributor to the Rams effort to score more points in games. But that won't happen until he is given a meaningful role in games. 37 carries after 12 games, or just three rushes per game, is not cutting it.

So we sit and wait. And hope that he gets more carries in Week 14. Thanks for reading.

More Rams News and Analysis