Improving Ram offense - 2025 RBs

[Allen2McVay]

...

4. Excited to see what we do as this is Rivers last year with us and probably Cody’s last one to.

Rivers will be a Restricted Free Agent but the Rams will probably not tender him (too expensive). Could still re-sign because he may not have much of a market, and might feel his best chance for a roster spot is with the Rams.

Schrader is theirs through 2026. He has no flexibility.

 

[Allen2McVay]

Was really looking forward to seeing corum play in the playoffs but now accident or not ( broken arm)is he going to be durable for us? Pucka as well. Like to see us have a better injury record. Tough league.

Agree with you about Nacua because he plays so physical, fighting for yards after the catch. Not concerned about Corum (not yet anyway) as his injury was not typical; and didn't involve the knee, ankle or shoulder ... sprain or more serious.

By-the-way, Kyren Williams missed 12 games in his first two seasons.

Compared to most teams, the Rams were pretty healthy over the final month of the season.

 

[dang]

"But if you watch kyren snap for snap there are so many good runs where you can see a faster back would've taken it to the house."

That's what I see as well.

Many times there's a "30+ yard hole" and it turns into 5-15 yards.
Defenses know this as well and "cheat" accordingly.
It's not like they're putting "8 in the box" to stop our RBs.
A bigger threat at RB would open up things for others on offense.

There is no such thing as a “30 yard hole” unless you add downfield blocking to the equation. A great running back can take the “5 yard hole” and turn it into a 30+ yard run with burst, seed and maneuverability. I agree KWill has average TB speed but he has above average burst, strength and maneuverability. So I don’t agree with the “Many times there's a "30+ yard hole" and it turns into 5-15 yards” statement. I feel confident in stating he’s a top 10 NFL RB as of right now.

 

[Merlin]

I can't recall having a back who is better at getting out of bad situations in the backfield than Williams. There's been so many times we have a defender or two in the backfield and he finds a way out of it. He's one slippery bastid.

 

[FrantikRam]

I am sure we will draft a RB every year.

But uh....go look at the Rams RBs from 2019-2022 and get back to me.

Kyren does not grow on trees.

 

[Ellard80]

Sometimes PFF is an utter joke.

Blake Corum rated higher than Williams?

ROFL

I've watched every carry they have had and that is absolutely laughable.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

A very good hard runner in this draft will be Kaytron Allen. He’s not a homerun hitter but he is hard to tackle. He’s finds the holes and makes the most of them.

If the Rams are looking for a new Kyren, who is harder to bring down, Allen would work.

So far from what I’ve seen of Corum, he’s not as good as Kyren. He needs bigger lanes to run through. I don’t see him as the Rams lead back in two years.

 

[20hrswk]

PFF rated the Ram OL the 5th best run blocking unit for 2024.

PFF rated our RBs the 22nd of 32 RB groups in 2024.

This goes along with what I see (definitely no expert, just my opinion) as far as holes being there but our RBs too often missing them/running into the backs of blockers or getting through a hole but unable to break away for major yardage like some others backs.

Again, I'm not saying Kyren (jury is still out on Corum) is not good, he obviuosly is, but he lacks in some areas that "the top" RBs excel.

Put another way, how many yards would a Gibbs have if he played for the Rams this year and had 316 carries? - 1,800 yards?
And add in the extra yards receiving as Kyren is not a top receiver.

Kyren is good, but an elite back elevates an offense in many ways.

 

[dang]

PFF rated the Ram OL the 5th best run blocking unit for 2024.

PFF rated our RBs the 22nd of 32 RB groups in 2024.

This goes along with what I see (definitely no expert, just my opinion) as far as holes being there but our RBs too often missing them/running into the backs of blockers or getting through a hole but unable to break away for major yardage like some others backs.

Again, I'm not saying Kyren (jury is still out on Corum) is not good, he obviuosly is, but he lacks in some areas that "the top" RBs excel.

Put another way, how many yards would a Gibbs have if he played for the Rams this year and had 316 carries? - 1,800 yards?
And add in the extra yards receiving as Kyren is not a top receiver.

Kyren is good, but an elite back elevates an offense in many ways.

Use PFF as a source by all means but I go by what I see “watching” the game. Can’t see everything in real time but you can get an accurate view of what’s happening to formulate an objective assessment. Example - Reeder was terrible (not for lack of trying but for lack of ability) but his game day PFF ratings rarely went below average. Any objective viewer could easily see that.

 

[André]

PFF rated the Ram OL the 5th best run blocking unit for 2024.

PFF rated our RBs the 22nd of 32 RB groups in 2024.

This goes along with what I see (definitely no expert, just my opinion) as far as holes being there but our RBs too often missing them/running into the backs of blockers or getting through a hole but unable to break away for major yardage like some others backs.

Again, I'm not saying Kyren (jury is still out on Corum) is not good, he obviuosly is, but he lacks in some areas that "the top" RBs excel.

Put another way, how many yards would a Gibbs have if he played for the Rams this year and had 316 carries? - 1,800 yards?
And add in the extra yards receiving as Kyren is not a top receiver.

Kyren is good, but an elite back elevates an offense in many ways.

Kyren has flaws, but he is a top ten back in this league, not just for his running, but for how good he is at blocking. I have seen so many plays where he has been the difference between Stafford making a throw or getting absolutely killed.

 

[DzRams]

PFF rated the Ram OL the 5th best run blocking unit for 2024.

PFF rated our RBs the 22nd of 32 RB groups in 2024.

This goes along with what I see (definitely no expert, just my opinion) as far as holes being there but our RBs too often missing them/running into the backs of blockers or getting through a hole but unable to break away for major yardage like some others backs.

Again, I'm not saying Kyren (jury is still out on Corum) is not good, he obviuosly is, but he lacks in some areas that "the top" RBs excel.

Put another way, how many yards would a Gibbs have if he played for the Rams this year and had 316 carries? - 1,800 yards?
And add in the extra yards receiving as Kyren is not a top receiver.

Kyren is good, but an elite back elevates an offense in many ways.

PFF rated the Lions OL the 3rd best in run blocking.

Gibbs averaged 5.6 ypc with that superior OL. Maybe he averages 5.0 with our OL. That would put him at 280 additional yards if you switched him for KW.

 

[DzRams]

Use PFF as a source by all means but I go by what I see “watching” the game. Can’t see everything in real time but you can an accurate view of what’s happening to formulate an objective assessment. Example - Reeder was terrible (not for lack of trying but for lack of ability) but his game day PFF ratings rarely went below average. Any objective viewer could easily see that.

This is called a subjective assessment.

 

[jrry32]

PFF rated the Lions OL the 3rd best in run blocking.

Gibbs averaged 5.6 ypc with that superior OL. Maybe he averages 5.0 with our OL. That would put him at 280 additional yards if you switched him for KW.

The Lions spent the #12 pick on Gibbs. We're not going to use that sort of draft capital to upgrade from a fringe top 10 HB to a top 5 HB. Wouldn't be a smart use of resources.

This is called a subjective assessment.

You're correct. But PFF's grades are also subjective assessments, FWIW.

 

[Gandalf]

A deep threat WR with speed would open up our passing and running offense.

 

[Jacobarch]

I know a lot of fans love Kyren.
I respect the passion, effort and toughness with which he plays, but having an elite RB would really help.
Remember the offense with a healthy Gurley?
Imagine the offense with a Gibbs?
PFF rated the Ram OL the 5th best run blocking unit for 2024, but our backs were rated 22nd.

Here's how PFF rated Ram RBs for 2024:

View attachment 69182
What does everyone think?

RBs are good enough go with what we've got?
Try to add some more "explosive" RBs?
Add a 3rd down back with better pass receiving skills?
Give more carries to Corum/Rivers and see what we have?

Teams have had 7 years to study mcvays offense which is mainly still the same as it was day one. Yeah there's a different run blocking scheme and some different motions but all and all his system is still the same. An elite RB is nice and all but it isn't the reason why mcvays offense has slowed down year after the year. Its the lack of showing something new and giving defenses something else to try to defend.

 

[Jacobarch]

A deep threat WR with speed would open up our passing and running offense.

I think Whittington fills that role tbh

 

[DzRams]

The Lions spent the #12 pick on Gibbs. We're not going to use that sort of draft capital to upgrade from a fringe top 10 HB to a top 5 HB. Wouldn't be a smart use of resources.

You're correct. But PFF's grades are also subjective assessments, FWIW.

100% agree with your first paragraph.

Partially agree with the statement on PFF's grades. If you're saying that the proprietary grades themselves are subjective, then I agree. But the measuring metrics - e.g. sack, pressure, ypc, etc. - aren't subjective.

 

[Jacobarch]

100% agree with your first paragraph.

Partially agree with the statement on PFF's grades. If you're saying that the proprietary grades themselves are subjective, then I agree. But the measuring metrics - e.g. sack, pressure, ypc, etc. - aren't subjective.

PFF while nice to use when it suits your narrative. It is highly debatable how they grade out players. Like others have pointed out PFF has zero idea or Intel on player responsibilities. Either way PFF isn't important. Winning is

 

[dang]

This is called a subjective assessment.

Only took 15 seconds so here it is:

Objective means something is based on facts and evidence, while subjective means something is based on personal opinions, feelings, or emotions.

I personally like Reeder as a Rams player (ST, depth) as I feel he always gives 100%. However, I see concrete evidence/results that he is not instinctual or athletic enough to be an average starting NFL ILB.

 

[jrry32]

100% agree with your first paragraph.

Partially agree with the statement on PFF's grades. If you're saying that the proprietary grades themselves are subjective, then I agree. But the measuring metrics - e.g. sack, pressure, ypc, etc. - aren't subjective.

1. I said grades, so we agree they're subjective.
2. Even some of their counting stats are subjective. For example, what constitutes a pressure is subjective, which is why different organizations that collect football statistics come to different conclusions. But I find their counting stats useful because it's all relative, so you can still compare players. Their coverage stats are also flawed, but for CBs, they're fairly useful.

I don't find their grades to be super useful. I consider them to be a rough approximation of whether a guy is good/great, somewhere in the middle of the pack, or terrible. Although, they've at times rated guys as terrible who are not or good/great who are not. So it's one of those things you just gotta trust your gut on. Kyren Williams is one of those examples. The idea that we have one of the best run blocking OLs while he's a mediocre HB, yeah, that dog don't hunt.