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Kyren Williams

Rams Likely To Move Jonah Jackson To C

August 30th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Rams head coach Sean McVay is “leaning towards” installing offensive lineman Jonah Jackson as the team’s starting center, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue.

Jackson signed with the Rams on a three-year, $51MM deal back in March after spending the first four years of his career with the Lions. A shoulder injury in training camp sidelined him for the preseason, but he has been taking reps at center as he ramps up to return.

Jackson has spent almost his entire career at guard, with just 24 career snaps at center — in Week 18 of the 2021 season — per Pro Football Focus. But the Rams are returning both of their starting guards in recently extended Kevin Dotson and 2023 second-round pick Steve Avila, so Jackson’s move to center allows McVay to get his five best offensive linemen on the field.

Avila frequently played center at TCU but worked as a guard — as since-departed Coleman Shelton manned the Rams’ center post last season — as a rookie. Avila’s mobility at guard is crucial to Los Angeles’ offensive scheme, according to Rodrigue. That said, Avila spent the offseason back at center, as Shelton signed with the Bears, only to be moved back to guard just before the regular season. That will make for an interesting transition for the former Big 12 standout.

McVay also announced that third-year running back Kyren Williams will be the team’s punt returner, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Williams seized the Rams’ RB1 job last season with 1,350 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns in just 12 games and is set to reprise his role this season. His new special teams gig could indicate that his offensive touches will go down with former Michigan standout Blake Corum also on the roster.

It is worth noting that McVay also handed the punt returning job to Cooper Kupp in 2021. He went on to lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns on his way to Offensive Player of the Year honors. Kupp’s punt returning duties did not impact his workload; instead, he simply fair caught 20 out his 21 punt returns in the regular season, per PFF. McVay may be employing a similar strategy this year: get the ball in the safest hands possible to avoid any costly muffed punts.

The rest of the Rams’ 53-man roster has taken shape over the last week, with Cobie Durant as the primary backup to outside cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Darious Williams, writes Rodrigue. Third-year defensive back Quentin Lake is expected to start at the ‘star’ position in the Rams’ sub packages where he will operate as a safety, nickelback, or dimeback depending on the play call.

Rams RB Kyren Williams To Miss OTAs

May 21st, 2024 at 8:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Rams running back Kyren Williams broke out in a big way during his sophomore campaign. His impressive season came to an end in the playoffs, when he exited his team’s loss to the Lions with a broken bone in his hand, but now, a “foot issue” is preventing him from participating in Los Angeles’ offseason program, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.

Williams is no stranger to injury. The Notre Dame product finished third in the NFL in rushing yards last year, behind only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry, despite missing five games (four on injured reserve with an ankle injury, another resting in the regular season finale) in 2023. Williams led the NFL in rushing yards per game with a mark of 95.3. The surprise offensive asset figures to be an integral part of the Rams’ offense in 2024, as long as his health allows it.

Williams’ stint on IR in 2023 wasn’t his first bout with injury, either. In OTAs before his rookie season, Williams broke his foot. After working his way back from that injury in time to make his rookie debut in Week 1, Williams suffered an ankle injury in his first NFL game that caused him to miss the next seven games of the 2022 season.

Head coach Sean McVay didn’t seem too worried about the 23-year-old’s status. Though he’ll miss the team’s offseason activities, Williams is expected back in time for training camp. “It’s nothing to worry about,” McVay told the media. “He’ll be ready to go for training camp, but there’s a little issue when he was training…But nothing to be concerned about.”

Williams’ absence wasn’t the only notable attendance feature in OTAs. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was in attendance and reportedly taking part in organized team activities, despite the veteran’s current efforts to attain more guaranteed money on his current contract. The 36-year-old passer is one year through a four-year, $160MM deal, but is done earning anymore guarantees ($10MM of his 2025 base salary was guaranteed in March).

There is a benefit on the team’s part to come to a restructured deal, as well. Stafford is set to represent a cap hit of $49.5MM this season, $50.5MM in 2025, and $49.5MM in 2026. A restructured contract could serve dual purposes of both getting Stafford more guaranteed money and also lowering his cap liability in the future.

Injury Updates: Raiders, Gilmore, Williams

January 20th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Maxx Crosby, who was already a two-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro selection within his first four years as a pass rusher for the Raiders, surprised nobody by putting up another career year in 2023. What’s even more impressive about this year’s Pro Bowl season and second-team All-Pro selection is that Crosby accomplished both feats while dealing with a knee injury for most of the season, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

This week, Crosby posted a picture of himself following a successful procedure on his left knee. The procedure was reportedly meant clean up an issue with his bursa that Crosby had been dealing with since Week 2 of the 2023 season. That’s not all. The 26-year-old also said recently that he will require thumb surgery. All of this information makes career-highs in tackles (90), sacks (14.5), and tackles for a loss (a league-leading 23) this season all the more impressive.

Elsewhere in Vegas, running back Josh Jacobs saw his own injury information made public earlier this month. After leading the league in rushing yards in 2022, Jacobs’ disappointing 2023 campaign came to an unceremonious end four weeks early, as the 25-year-old missed the final four games of the season with injury.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jacobs had “been dealing with two deep bone contusions that…restricted his range of motion, preventing him from being cleared by the team medical staff.” Pelissero relays that the issues did not result in any structural damage and that Jacobs should be fully healthy heading into free agency this offseason.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL, starting with an update out of northeast Texas:

  • Before Super Wild Card weekend, Cowboys veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore found out that he had suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. An injury like that is certainly grounds for season-ending surgery that late in the season. Gilmore, though, made the conscious decision to delay surgery, toughing it out for what he hoped would be the second Super Bowl run of his career, per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. Gilmore wore a shoulder harness and played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for Dallas in their loss to the Packers. He would’ve done that three more times, if given the opportunity. With the Cowboys’ season now officially ended, Gilmore said that he expected surgery soon, giving him plenty of time to be ready to play in 2024, wherever that may be for the pending free agent.
  • Lastly, the Rams saw rookie sensation Kyren Williams suffer a hand injury in last weekend’s loss to the Lions. The running back out of Notre Dame finished the regular season behind only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry in rushing yards but was forced to exit his team’s playoff game with a broken bone in his hand, according to Rams senior staff writer Stu Jackson. Williams underwent successful surgery on Tuesday of this week and should have plenty of time to recover for his sophomore campaign.

Rams Activate RB Kyren Williams, S Jason Taylor II From IR

November 25th, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 25: Williams has now officially been activated off of injured reserve. The second-year rusher out of Notre Dame had been one of the NFL’s most fun surprises in the early weeks of the season, racking up 561 scrimmage yards and seven total touchdowns in six games. Freeman has done his best to handle the Rams’ rushing attack since Williams and Rivers went down, but Williams provides a significant upgrade to the offense in Los Angeles.

Joining Williams on the active roster off of IR is safety Jason Taylor II. Taylor was initially considered a sleeper candidate to win the starting safety job next to Jordan Fuller in the preseason but only saw special teams snaps before being placed on IR after the team’s Week 1 contest. His activation comes at just the right time as Quentin Lake, the team’s starting free safety for the past two games, has been ruled out this week in Arizona. Taylor will compete with John Johnson for snaps behind Fuller and Russ Yeast.

Los Angeles had already cleared space for Williams, but in order to make room for Taylor, the Rams waived offensive tackle Zachary Thomas. Thomas made two in-game appearances, getting some run on the line during the team’s loss to Cincinnati earlier this season but has been inactive ever since.

NOVEMBER 22: The Rams waiving Darrell Henderson provided a fairly clear indication Kyren Williams was ready to come off IR. The team began that transition officially Wednesday, designating the second-year running back for return.

Missing the minimum four games, Williams will be eligible to play in Week 12. Although the Rams have three weeks from today to activate the former fifth-round pick, it seems likely that transaction will take place ahead of this week’s Cardinals matchup.

Los Angeles lost its top two RBs — Williams and Ronnie Rivers — during its initial matchup with Arizona. Williams landed on IR with an unspecified ankle injury shortly after that Week 6 game. This marked the second straight season in which an ankle malady forced Williams to IR. The Notre Dame product missed rookie-year time because of a high ankle sprain, but he did not serve as L.A.’s starter last season. He moved into that role immediately in Year 2.

Williams showed promise before his latest ankle injury, putting together two 100-yard rushing performances in his past three games. During the game in which he sustained the injury, Williams blazed for a career-high 158 yards — nearly all of them coming after halftime. For the season, Williams has 456 yards and six touchdowns. After four weeks of using backs that were not on the team’s initial 53-man roster, the Rams’ offense stands to receive a boost soon.

Trading Cam Akers to clear a path for Williams and ending a multiyear separation saga, the Rams turned to veterans Henderson and Royce Freeman as their backfield mainstays during Williams’ latest IR stint. Henderson averaged just 2.4 yards per carry. While Freeman has been more efficient (4.3 YPC), the sixth-year back — who began the season on the Rams’ practice squad — will likely serve as a Williams sidekick moving forward. Rivers, who suffered a PCL sprain, has not returned to practice. The Rams still have sixth-round rookie Zach Evans on their roster, but Henderson and Freeman leapfrogged the TCU and Ole Miss product.

The Rams also designated safety Jason Taylor II for return on Wednesday. Drafted in the seventh round (and not related to the Hall of Fame defensive end), Taylor has not played since Week 1. The Rams have four IR activations remaining.

Rams Waive RB Darrell Henderson

November 21st, 2023 at 3:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Kyren Williams back to full health, Darrell Henderson has seen his latest Rams stint come to an end. The latter was waived on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Williams’ move to injured reserve prompted a reunion with Henderson, who spent his first four years with Los Angeles. With the vacancy created in the Rams’ backfield by Williams going down (along with the trade which dealt away Cam Akers), Henderson was able to shoulder a notable workload in his short-lived return.

The 26-year-old received 46 carries and caught 10 passes during his four games on the active roster. Henderson turned that into 112 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, along with 103 yards through the air. Those figures were not enough to earn him an extended look upon Williams’ return, so Henderson will not hit the waiver wire. It will be interesting to see if an interested team puts in a claim for him, as the Jaguars did in 2022.

Failing that, Henderson will be a candidate to re-sign to the Rams’ practice squad. In any case, Los Angeles will look to improve on the ground in the second half of the campaign, with the team sitting 20th in the NFL at an average of 103 yards per game on the ground. Despite his missed time, Williams (who can be expected to be activated from IR in the coming days) still comfortably leads the Rams with 456 rushing yards. He and veteran Royce Freeman will carry the load moving forward.

The Rams improved to 4-6 with a win in Week 11, quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s return to action. With he and Williams now back in the fold, Los Angeles will attempt to make a late playoff push. Unless he is retained via the taxi squad, though, Henderson will not play a role in that effort.

Rams Elevate Darrell Henderson; RB Kyren Williams Placed On IR

October 22nd, 2023 at 7:04am CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 22: The Rams are expected to give the majority of the workload to Freeman and Henderson in today’s matchup against the Steelers, per Schefter. Evans will get some touches, while Gaskin is likely to be a healthy scratch (though the plan is for him to be active for the club’s Week 8 bout with the Cowboys).

Each player’s performance in today’s game will help determine how McVay divvies up the work until Williams returns from IR. None of the current backs, however, are expected to dominate touches the way that Williams did, as McVay plans to distribute the opportunities more evenly. In a disappointing development for fantasy coaches, a more equitable distribution could continue even when Williams is activated.

OCTOBER 21: Williams is headed to injured reserve, the Rams announced on Saturday. That move means he and Rivers will be shut down until at least Week 12. Henderson, to no surprise, has indeed been promoted to the active roster, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes he is expected to suit up tomorrow. Henderson could have a notable workload available in the short- and intermediate-term future given how banged up the Rams’ backfield has suddenly become.

OCTOBER 20: Henderson’s ramp-up period will be short. The Rams are planning make their former starter a gameday elevation, McVay said Friday. Teams can elevate two practice squad players each week. Henderson will join Evans, Freeman and Gaskin in this reconfigured RB mix. Introducing obvious complications for deeper-league fantasy GMs eyeing this backfield, McVay said, “all four of those guys are possibilities” to contribute. McVay did stop short of indicating all four would be active, pointing to one of the new additions potentially being a healthy scratch.

Henderson has not played in a game since Week 11 of last season. The Rams waived him soon after, and although the Jaguars made a claim, they parted ways with the former third-round pick. He of two 600-plus-yard rushing seasons, Henderson will be back in action Sunday.

OCTOBER 18: The Rams’ running back corps will look much different in Week 7 compared to how the situation looked to start the season or even in last week’s Cardinals matchup. As expected, Ronnie Rivers is heading to IR. But Kyren Williams is not expected back soon.

Los Angeles’ starting back is expected to miss multiple games because of the ankle injury he sustained in Week 6, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Williams suffered a sprain during his career-high rushing day. Sean McVay confirmed Williams will miss Sunday’s matchup but did not rule out the second-year back going on IR, though The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes the team will not make that decision today.

Coming out of training camp, the Rams rostered Williams and Rivers behind expected starter Cam Akers. Sixth-round pick Zach Evans rounded out the group. After Williams operated as Los Angeles’ starter to open the season, the team went back to the healthy-scratch well with Akers but moved him this time. Following the Williams and Rivers setbacks, Evans is the only healthy option left among the Rams’ originals.

The team brought in reinforcements this week. Royce Freeman, who has worked as a gameday elevation in three games this season, is now on L.A.’s 53-man roster. So is Myles Gaskin, who spent time with ex-McVay OC Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota to start this season. The Rams signed the ex-Dolphins starter off the Vikings’ practice squad. Darrell Henderson is back with the Rams as well, though the former starter is on their P-squad. Teams have regularly used the taxi squad as a bridge for veterans to return to an active roster, so Henderson’s status will be worth monitoring given his knowledge of McVay’s system.

Rivers will be out until at least Week 12, with the Rams’ bye coming in Week 10. The 2022 UDFA suffered a PCL sprain Sunday. Williams is not a lock to return before the bye, per Fowler, though he adds the Notre Dame product should be back by Week 11 at the latest. Still, a three-game absence would certainly cut into Williams’ rookie-year performance. The 2022 fifth-round pick had showed quality form in his first games as the starter, dominating backfield snaps and touches. He finished with 158 rushing yards — 154 of those in the second half — in the Rams’ come-from-behind win over the Cardinals.

Rams RBs Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers Sustain Leg Injuries

October 16th, 2023 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:01pm: Head coach Sean McVay provided an update to the situation this evening, informing the media that Williams and Rivers are “going to be out for a little bit,” per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. For now, it’s unclear just how long he expects to be without his top two rushing options, but it’s believed that it will be challenging for Williams and Rivers to return anytime relatively soon.

With the stables bare, as mentioned below, Evans becomes a key piece in the running game. Freeman will likely find his way into some snaps off the practice squad, as well.

3:57pm: The Rams will need to make some adjustments to their backfield depth chart moving forward. Although their run game took over in the second half against the Cardinals on Sunday, both the team’s top two backs sustained injuries.

Kyren Williams zoomed to a career-best 158-yard day in Los Angeles’ comfortable win, but the second-year back suffered a sprained ankle. While Williams is not yet a lock to miss Week 7, Ronnie Rivers appears done for the foreseeable future. The L.A. RB2 suffered a grade 3 PCL strain, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Rivers is expected to miss at least four games, making him a clear IR candidate for the 3-3 team.

The past year has already brought a significant backfield overhaul for the Rams, who waived Darrell Henderson in November 2022 and traded Cam Akers to the Vikings in what amounted to a September salary dump. Using Henderson, Akers and Sony Michel as their primary backs in the early 2020s, the Rams started over this season (Henderson remains a free agent). Williams is now their lead back, and after an injury-abbreviated rookie season, the Notre Dame product has become a promising player for the retooling franchise. The Rams’ ground attack ranks 18th through six games.

Chosen in last year’s fifth round, Williams has notched two 100-yard rushing games over his past three and has operated as the team’s clear-cut starter throughout the season. After a 141-snap rookie year, Williams has been on the field for 337 offensive plays in 2023. That amounts to an 82% snap rate. Although Williams may need a week to recover, he does not look to be an IR candidate. If Rivers — a 2022 UDFA out of Fresno State — lands on IR, he will not be eligible to return until Week 12.

After closing an off-and-on impasse with Akers by sending him to Minnesota, the Rams only have sixth-round rookie Zach Evans behind Williams and Rivers on their 53-man roster. A former five-star recruit, the TCU and Ole Miss back flashed in college but never totaled a 1,000-yard rushing season. He finished with 936 in his one Ole Miss campaign. But Evans (four carries, 10 yards thus far in his pro career) figures to see more run going forward, particularly if Williams is forced to miss time. Rivers’ injury also figures to impact Royce Freeman, whom the Rams have stashed on their practice squad. The sixth-year back obviously brings far more experience compared to Evans. The former third-round pick has played in three games this season but has only seen time on special teams.

Rams Activate Three From Injured Lists, Waive RB Malcolm Brown

November 12th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams remain one of the most active teams in the league with their activations from the injured lists, continuing that trend today with two activations from injured reserve and one from the physically unable to perform list. After the three activations, the team will have two remaining, the second lowest in the league after only their division rivals in San Francisco. In order to free up some space on the roster, Los Angeles waived veteran running back Malcolm Brown.

The biggest return for the Rams is interior offensive lineman Coleman Shelton, who started four games for the Rams before being placed on IR. Coleman initially started at right guard for Los Angeles before moving to center to help replace an injured Brian Allen. Alaric Jackson was filling in for Coleman until being asked to cover the left tackle spot left vacant when Joseph Noteboom was placed on IR. Since then, some spot starts from Oday Aboushi and Chandler Brewer have contributed to an extremely injured offensive line.

The other two activations were rookie running back Kyren Williams from IR and rookie safety Quentin Lake from the PUP list. Williams was a fifth-round draft pick out of Notre Dame and is expected to have enough of an impact as a rookie that the team felt comfortable letting go of Brown. The shorter, stocky back should provide a complimentary skillset alongside Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers. Lake, a sixth-round pick out of nearby UCLA, should provide some key depth behind Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp at safety with Jordan Fuller still on IR.

Brown’s return to Los Angeles, after a one-year stay in Miami, was fairly short-lived and unproductive. In five games this year, Brown has only touched the ball 16 times for 57 total scrimmage yards, despite all the drama keeping Akers off the field. It appears that, after seven of eight years with the team, the Rams have seen enough of what Brown can provide in their running backs room and will allow the 29-year-old to test the waiver wire.

Lastly, in anticipation of their matchup with the Cardinals this weekend, the team has elevated tight end Jared Pinkney from the practice squad. The former Vanderbilt tight end made his Rams debut last week, playing solely on special teams.

Rams To Activate RB Kyren Williams From IR

November 11th, 2022 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries and the Cam Akers drama have produced an unstable Rams rushing attack this season. The defending Super Bowl champions enter Week 10 ranked 31st on the ground.

The team held onto Akers at the trade deadline and used him against the Buccaneers. Another option will be available for the reeling Rams on Sunday. Sean McVay said the team will activate Kyren Williams from IR. Williams has been out since Week 1 due to a high ankle sprain sustained during limited duty in Week 1. Williams will be the Rams’ fourth injury activation this season.

A fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, Williams has one NFL play on his resume. That special teams rep led to a half-season’s worth of injury-induced absences. But the Rams will get a look at the two-time Fighting Irish 1,000-yard rusher against the Cardinals. It remains to be seen if Williams will carve out a meaningful role in Los Angeles’ backfield, but given the team’s struggles, it would surprise if the 5-foot-9 rusher did not receive an extended look during this season’s second half.

Williams combined to score 31 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior years in South Bend. He topped 300 receiving yards in each of those campaigns. But injuries have been a problem for the rookie; Week 10 will be the end of an extensive journey. Williams began training camp on the Rams’ active/PUP list due to a broken foot.

Akers has not regained the form he displayed as a rookie; the July 2021 Achilles tear has become an unfortunate line of demarcation for the former second-round pick’s career. Following what is believed to be a football-related dispute, the Rams dangled Akers in deals — including offers for Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns. No team bit. Akers, who is signed through 2023, totaled five carries for three yards last week in Tampa.

Darrell Henderson, who is playing on an expiring contract, leads the Rams with 253 rushing yards (4.1 per carry). But the team has tried veteran Malcolm Brown and UDFA Ronnie Rivers at points as well. Injuries at four of L.A.’s five starting offensive line positions have certainly impacted the team’s ability to sustain a ground game as well. The Rams will at least have their full stable of running backs available this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/22

September 13th, 2022 at 9:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Hand suffered a torn quad in the Titans’ opener, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is undergoing surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season. A former fourth-round Lions draftee back in 2018, Hand has been with the Titans since last year. He played two defensive snaps Sunday.

Montgomery had battled a knee injury during the run-up to the regular season, but the veteran passing-down back played in the Patriots’ Week 1 contest. Montgomery caught three passes for 15 yards in New England’s loss. The Pats signed Humphrey, a former Saints wideout, midway through the offseason.

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