The Los Angeles Rams announced that they have placed running back Kyren Williams on injured reserve ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Williams hurt his right ankle in the Rams’ Week 6 win over the Arizona Cardinals and the injury came at an unfortunate time considering how well he has been running the ball.
In six games this season, Williams has rushed for 456 yards and six touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry while also catching 13 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The second-year running back had the best game of his career against the Cardinals when he had 20 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown with a majority of it coming in the second half.
Williams was able to finish out the game despite suffering the injury, which led to some optimism from Sean McVay that he might not miss much time, if any. As the week has progressed though, it has become apparent that Williams’ injury is more severe than thought, which is why he is being placed on IR.
The 23-year-old will now have five weeks to rest and heel up as he will miss the Rams’ next four games and their bye week before being eligible to return in Week 12 against the Cardinals.
In Williams’ absence, the Rams will likely utilize a running back by committee with Zach Evans, Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson and Myles Gaskin all potentially in the mix. The rookie Evans may get the first crack at touches although the other three all bring experience to the table and could get opportunities as well.
Henderson, in particular, is very familiar with the Rams’ playbook and was brought back to the practice squad earlier this week after being without a team to start the year. With Williams being placed on IR, Henderson was elevated to the 53-man roster for the Week 7 contest against the Steelers.
McVay was not willing to tip his hand when asked who will get a bulk of the carries, so it may be a situation where the Rams ride the hot hand and stick with what’s working on game day.
Ronnie Rivers also placed on IR
Williams wasn’t the only Rams running back who got hurt against the Cardinals in Week 6 as his primary backup Ronnie Rivers also went down with a knee injury.
The Rams also placed Rivers on IR this week, so he appears to be looking at a similar timetable as Williams, missing at least a month before being able to return.
