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.
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ACTIVELatest Kyren Williams news
Rushing
Receiving
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.
Williams was trending in this direction, as he logged a full workload at practice throughout the week. The presumption is he will settle back in as the Rams' lead back, though coach Sean McVay indicated to Cameron DaSilva of USA Today he is mindful of taking some snaps off the second-year back's plate in order to ease him back into the swing of things. Thus, Royce Freeman is expected to see some meaningful work as the No. 2 option in Los Angeles' backfield. Williams had played at least 73 percent of the snaps in each of his first five games as a starter prior to landing on IR.
Williams was designated for return from IR after missing each of the Rams' last four games, but his ability to resume practicing the first week he was eligible to do so while facing no restrictions suggests he'll be added back to the 53-man roster before Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for Week 12 transactions. In his looming return to action Sunday, Williams should settle back in as the Rams' lead back, though head coach Sean McVay told Cameron DaSilva of USA Today that he's mindful of taking some snaps off the second-year player's plate in an effort to ease him in. "I think we want to be able to give him a good workload, but I think that was something we had identified [previously]," McVay said of Williams, who will be backed up by Royce Freeman on Sunday. "Exactly what that balance looks like, you want to be able to ride the hot hand, you want to make sure that you're able to get him in the flow of the game, but 95 percent is something that we definitely want to be mindful of taking some snaps off him." Williams had played at least 73 percent of the snaps in each of his five games as the Rams' starting running back prior to landing on IR, averaging 16.4 carries and 4.4 targets during those contests.
Williams remains on injured reserve, but after back-to-back uncapped sessions to kick off Week 12 prep, he's drawing ever closer to returning to action from the sprained left ankle that so far has forced four straight absences. The Rams may list him with no designation on their final injury report of the week Friday, but they also don't need to activate him from IR until Saturday afternoon in order for him to have a chance to play Sunday in Arizona. Perhaps other moves that the team makes in the coming days will signal that Williams will be back (or not), like potentially elevating Darrell Henderson from the practice squad. In the end, Williams seems like a good bet to be available this weekend.
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.
Williams is thus slated to practice Wednesday and is expected to be formally activated from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, barring any setbacks. In his looming return, Williams should be poised to claim a key role in the Rams' backfield, with Royce Freeman and Zach Evans also in the mix after the team parted ways with Darrell Henderson on Tuesday. Prior to being placed on IR on Oct. 21 with a left ankle sprain, Williams had played more than two-thirds of the Rams' snaps on offense in each of the first six games, averaging 93.5 yards from scrimmage per contest while finding the end zone seven times.
Williams has spent the minimum four games on injured reserve as he recovers from the sprained left ankle that he suffered back in Week 6. The Rams will need to designate him for return from IR in order for him to practice, which they likely will do ahead of Wednesday's session. Once that procedural move is out of the way, Williams' listing on the team's injury reports Wednesday through Friday should give a good indication of his current level of health. Assuming he's close to 100 percent, he seemingly would take on a majority share of L.A.'s backfield Week 12, with Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson in reserve.
Team
Los Angeles Rams
Birthdate
8/26/2000 (23)
Status
Active
HT/WT
5'9", 194 lbs
Draft Info
2022: Rd 5; Pk 164 (LA)
Birthplace
St. Louis, MO, USA
Position
RB
College
Notre Dame
Experience
2nd season
Career History
Los Angeles Rams
2022 - Present
(2 seasons)
Previous Game
37
Final
14
143
YDS
9
AVG
0
TD
2023 Season Stats
ATT
RUSH YDS
RUSH TDS
REC
REC TDS
113
599
6
19
3
|
Recent Games
|
rushing
|
receiving
|
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Date
|
Opp
|
Result
|
CAR
|
YDS
|
AVG
|
TD
|
LNG
|
FD
|
REC
|
TGTS
|
YDS
|
AVG
|
TDS
|
LNG
|
YAC
|
|
11/26
|
W 37-14
|
16
|
143
|
8.9
|
0
|
56
|
4
|
6
|
6
|
61
|
10.2
|
2
|
24
|
68
|
|
|
10/15
|
W 26-9
|
20
|
158
|
7.9
|
1
|
31
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
10/8
|
L 14-23
|
13
|
53
|
4.1
|
0
|
11
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
16
|
|
|
10/1
|
W 29-23
|
25
|
103
|
4.1
|
2
|
20
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
24
|
8
|
0
|
13
|
20
|
|
|
9/25
|
L 16-19
|
10
|
38
|
3.8
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
2
|
7
|
27
|
13.5
|
0
|
20
|
35
|
|
