The Rams enter training camp with five running backs on their roster. Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers, and Zach Evans will be battling each other for roster spots and playing time.
It’s basically an agreed fact that Kyren Williams and Blake Corum’s roster spots are secured, while Boston Scott should be rounding out the room. Whether the Rams keep a fourth running back is to be determined and if so, they’ll probably go with Ronnie Rivers, who has shown flashes of potential and had 35 carries in 2023, including three rushes in the playoffs compared to Zach Evans who had nine all year.
Expect a run-based offense in 2024 as the team finished 12th in the league in total rushes in 2023. They averaged about 28 rushes per game, making up around 45 percent of their total plays.
We witnessed a massive boost to the Rams’ offensive production when the team ran the ball more in general but especially on second down. That led to more third-and-short situations, which the team had a higher success of converting compared to third down attempts following a pass.
With that being said, the Rams should average around 30 rushes per game in 2024. When Williams returned from injury last season, he averaged around 22 carries a game, or about 77 percent of the load. Because of the nature of his position and durability concerns, the team will slightly scale back that percentage to around 70 percent.
At 30 carries a game for the team, Williams should expect 21 rushes, if not less. In that case, who takes the other nine?
In 2023, Boston Scott had six games in which he didn’t get a single carry. He averaged around 2.2 carries per game in the games he recorded a carry. Expect things to stay the same in Los Angeles.
It’s still very early, but if the Rams average 30 carries a game, we predict that Williams will have 21 carries, Corum will have seven and Scott will get about two. There’s room for fluctuation between Williams and Corum, depending on performance and health, but that line will most likely sway only two or three carries between the two men.
Either way, the Rams brought in Jonah Jackson for a reason so bet on a heavy dosage of the run in 2024.