It was Kyren Williams who usurped Cam Akers as the starting running back for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, with the latter being a healthy scratch. Akers has since been traded to the Minnesota Vikings and Sean McVay explained why the Rams are comfortable moving forward with Williams as the starting back.
“Well, he’s a complete back,” McVay said. “I think he’s got the ability to play on all downs. He’s really put the work in. He’s earned a lot of trust from his coaches, from his teammates, and he’s a guy that just continues to take steps in the right direction. I think he’s a great example for those guys. It was really about you just continue to evaluate every single day and you couldn’t deny some of the improvements in the things that he was doing that were in alignment with saying, ‘We got to figure out ways to be able to get him involved.’ And again, you just see the work works for guys like that.”
Buy Rams TicketsThe first couple of sentences in McVay’s quote are important in figuring out how the Rams got to the point where they believe Williams is the deserved starter in the backfield. Through the first two weeks of the season, Williams has rushed for 104 yards and three scores, along with registering 50 yards and another score on six receptions.
In the two seasons where Akers played in at least 13 games, he never had more than 13 catches in a single season. But most importantly, the Rams could never trust Akers in pass protection as much as they trust Williams in that area.
Dating back to his time at Notre Dame in college, Williams was always a strong pass protector at the running back position. Keeping defenders off your quarterback can go a long way toward earning more snaps, which is why Williams has gained the trust of McVay and Matthew Stafford.
Simply put, Williams’ contributions in the receiving game and pass protection are why he’s the starting running back for the Rams and why Akers is now a member of the Vikings.
