Entering the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Rams will be featuring plenty of new faces in key positions, though there is some certainty in the backfield.
After a whirlwind saga in 2022, Cam Akers and the Rams appear to be in a good place as the 24-year-old is slated to be their starting running back. Akers and Los Angeles went through some internal disagreements before the two sides were able to move past it and finish last season on a high note.
Like Akers, Kyren Williams has also had a bumpy start to his young NFL career after getting injured early his rookie season and missing time. However, Williams is healthy now and is looking the like the favorite to win the No. 2 role behind Akers because of his pass catching and blocking ability.
So far, Williams is having a strong training camp and Matthew Stafford noted how impressed he’s been with him, via Cameron DaSilva of USA Today:
“I think Kyren Williams has done a really nice job in the backfield for us,” Stafford said. “A guy that probably not a lot of people know about but unfortunately had an injury last year during training camp, took him a little bit of time to get back. But he’s a guy in the backfield that when Cam needs a breather, he’s gonna do a nice job for us both in the run game and pass game.”
Williams wowed his teammates and the coaching staff with a deep touchdown grab from Stafford, a clear indication that he’s going to be a threat catching passes out of the backfield this season. However, he has yet to make much of an impact on the ground though that’ll hopefully come with more reps and experience in Sean McVay’s system.
Akers is going to take the bulk of snaps, but having a capable back in Williams should allow him to stay fresh over the regular season. McVay has talked about rotating players in the backfield and it appears that he’ll have a legitimate 1-2 punch to work with.
Sean McVay impressed with Stetson Bennett so far in training camp
While Stafford has been impressed with the young position players on offense, McVay’s taken note of Stetson Bennett in training camp.
Bennett is the clear favorite to win the backup quarterback role and McVay expressed how pleased he’s been watching the Georgia product make plays and develop so far.
