Williams (foot) is participating in on-field workouts Thursday. Williams missed most of OTAs due to a foot injury, but he's returned to the field for the final day of voluntary activities and appears to be handling on-field drills without limitations. Coach Sean McVay continuously downplayed the severity of Williams' injury, and it looks like the starting running back will indeed be ready to go for the start of mandatory minicamp June 10. The Rams could still opt to cap Williams' workload at practice if there are any concerns about his recovery, but it looks like he could be in position to handle the majority of first-team reps during minicamp, with rookie third-round pick Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans working behind him.
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Williams (foot) is participating in on-field workouts Thursday. Williams missed most of OTAs due to a foot injury, but he's returned to the field for the final day of voluntary activities and appears to be handling on-field drills without limitations. Coach Sean McVay continuously downplayed the severity of Williams' injury, and it looks like the starting running back will indeed be ready to go for the start of mandatory minicamp June 10. The Rams could still opt to cap Williams' workload at practice if there are any concerns about his recovery, but it looks like he could be in position to handle the majority of first-team reps during minicamp, with rookie third-round pick Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans working behind him.
Williams (foot) went through an up-tempo workout Tuesday with athletic trainers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports. While he won't practice at OTAs or minicamp, Williams is at least able to get out on the field and move around with the Rams' training staff. The activity would seem to support head coach Sean McVay's recent comments downplaying the severity of Williams' foot injury, though it's worth noting that the running back suffered a broken foot early in the 2022 offseason, shortly after the Rams took him in the fifth round of the draft. McVay said Williams will miss offseason practices before returning for training camp, at which point the third-year pro will take his spot atop the depth chart. His absences from practice this spring could open up first-team reps for third-round pick Blake Corum, offseason pickup Boston Scott and even Ronnie Rivers or Zach Evans.
Williams, who is dealing with a foot injury that he sustained while training this spring, per Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register, won't take part in the Rams' offseason program, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports. That said, Barshop adds that coach Sean McVay has downplayed Williams' foot issue, noting that it's "nothing to worry about. He'll be ready to go for training camp." As the coming season approaches, the 2022 fifth-rounder remains atop the Rams' RB depth chart, with rookie third-rounder Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans providing the team with backfield depth. Of the aforementioned backups, Corum could be the most notable threat to the 2024 workload of the 5-foot-9, 194-pound Williams.
Rams coach Sean McVay said Saturday that third-round pick Blake Corum reminds him a lot of Williams (hand), Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports. McVay isn't the first to make that comparison, and while it's arguably a compliment that the Rams sought out a similar player, it also means Williams could cede more work to backups than he did last year. The comparison between the two players is imperfect, with Corum being an inch shorter yet 11 pounds heavier (based on combine measurements) and having enjoyed a far more prolific college career in terms of rushing stats. On the other hand, Williams was much more active as a pass catcher in his college days, and he's since proven to be a quality player at the NFL level, scoring 15 TDs in 12 games last season while averaging a league-high 95.3 rushing yards per game. He thus figures to remain the lead back, though he now has much lower odds to match the massive snap shares he handled last season (90 percent or higher five times, 77 percent or higher nine times). The hand fracture Williams suffered in a playoff loss to Detroit shouldn't impact his preparation for 2024.
The second-year back looked more effective than ever in his return from a four-game stay on injured reserve, compiling a career-high rushing yardage total while also bringing in scoring grabs of 15 and three yards. Williams' reception total also led the Rams on the afternoon and tied the versatile back's season high. Williams clearly looks completely back to full health after ripping off multiple explosive runs, including a game-high 56-yarder, and he'll next take aim at an inconsistent Browns run defense in a Week 13 home matchup.
On the same day in which the Rams designated Williams for return from injured reserve, the running back "looked like he was full speed during walkthrough just now," per McVay. The team likely will want Williams to string together multiple uncapped practices before activating him from IR, but he seems poised to miss the minimum four games while on the list due to a sprained left ankle. The Rams will need to add Williams back on the active roster by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for him to have a chance to play Sunday at Arizona.