Getty Kyren Williams points to the crowd on November 26, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
Kyren Williams is heading back to SoFi Stadium as the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
He’s also got a reunion in store when the Los Angeles Rams clash with the Cleveland Browns.
Williams gashed the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, November 26 by tallying 143 yards on 16 carries. Now, he gets the NFL’s best defense coming to Inglewood — featuring a familiar foe he says he can’t wait to cross paths with.
Kyren Williams Reveals 1 Browns Defender he Can’t Wait to Face
Williams will be looking for one past All-American on the Browns side when he’s on the field. It’s his former Norte Dame teammate currently stacking tackles for the Browns.
“My great friend Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, No. 6, is over there,” Williams told reporters in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday, November 29. “I’m excited to compete against him. I haven’t been able to do that since college.”
Owusu-Koramoah was brief Fighting Irish teammates with Williams from 2019 to 2020. They produced a 21-4 overall record together in South Bend. The running back and linebacker also squeezed in a trip to Arlington, Texas together, as ND played in the 2020 season Rose Bowl. That became a 31-14 loss to the Crimson Tide during the College Football Playoffs. That Rose Bowl game was relocated due to the threat of COVID-19.
“It’s going to be fun. They got the top defense so I’m excited to go play real good football with them boys,” Williams said.
The Rams running back admits he hasn’t heard from Owusu-Koramoah. But he knows that they’ll communicate beforehand.
“He’ll either text me the day before the game or at the game,” Williams said.
There’s also this plan Williams has for his Ex-Fighting Irish teammate that he wants to let Owusu-Koramoah know early: jersey swap.
“I’m going to let him know early, before I start getting to him,” Williams said smiling. “I’m going to tell him ‘I need that jersey.'”
Williams Aware of What Potentially Lies Ahead Against Top Defense in the NFL
Williams delivered a combined 301 yards in two games versus the Arizona Cardinals. He also ripped through the Indianapolis Colts with 103 yards. He’s given the Rams a new spark out of the backfield with three 100-yard outings in his elevation to RB1.
But as the production piles, so will the attention defenses will throw at him. He’s aware the Browns will be nothing like the defenses he faced in Arizona and Indy.
“I would expect nothing less,” Williams said. “We’re in the NFL, we’ve got great coaches and they obviously know what the game plan is and who to scheme against.”
However, he knows that if opposing eyes focus on him, the door swings open for names like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
“It’s not going to be me that they’ll scheme against. But we have other threats as well as receiver options. Which allows me to have less attention,” Williams said.
The Browns, again, head to SoFi Stadium with the league’s top defense in tow. They did surrender 169 yards and two rushing touchdowns to the Denver Broncos, though, on November 26. Regardless, the NFC’s top offensive player of the week is energized for his reunion, plus the matchup.
“I’m excited for whatever is to come,” Williams said.