Rams’ Kyren Williams Says He Hasn’t Hit His Peak Yet

The Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren said he’s reached many of his goals but is focused on making this his strongest season yet.

Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after the game against the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Wild Card Playoff at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025. Norm Hall/Getty Images

Despite back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams still has something to prove.

Williams was drafted by the Rams out of Notre Dame in the 2022 NFL Draft, and has exploded onto the scene in 2023 and 2024. But in the final year of his rookie contract, promising young stars were breathing down his neck on the depth chart. In an interview with RG News, Williams said he wants to do more for his teammates to succeed while building on his success.

“I don’t feel like I’ve touched my peak yet,“ Williams told the outlet. ”I’ve gotten to where I wanted to be, but I’m determined to make this my best season.”

Asked what specifically he could improve to make this season his best, Williams said, “[e]verything.”

“Just trying to make more explosive runs, be able to create long runs and just create more opportunities for my guys around me to be successful,” he said. “However that looks, whether that’s pass blocking, catching the ball, breaking long runs, converting first downs, do everything I can to make sure that I’m the best I can be consistently this year.”

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft, Williams appeared in 10 games in his rookie season in 2022. He had 35 carries for 139 yards and added nine catches for 76 yards. He appeared in 12 games in 2023; he rushed for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 95.3 yards per game average led the NFL. He added 32 catches for 206 yards and three TDs.

He was named to the Pro Bowl and was voted 78th in the Top 100 Players of 2024 by his fellow players. In the 2024 season, Williams started all 16 games, rushing for 1,299 yards and 14 TDs. He added 34 catches for 182 yards and two TDs. But his yards per carry and per game averages declined slightly.

“I just think not a lot of things added up to me to be successful like what happened in 2023, and you just have to continue working,” says Williams. “I don’t think anything differently played a part. I was a Pro Bowler and I wasn’t in 2024. It wasn’t my time, just got to get back to the drawing board and figure out how I can get back to where I was.”

Williams is also in a precarious situation on the roster. He is in the final year of his rookie contract with a salary of $5.346 million. Spotrac lists his market value for a second contract at $10.4 million per year, which would be the sixth-highest salary for a running back.

But Williams has some stiff competition for carries on the roster, including 2024 third-round pick Blake Corum, who had two 1,000-plus yard seasons at Michigan, and 2025 fourth-round pick Jarquez Hunter. The Rams also have Ronnie Rivers, Cody Schrader, and Jordan Waters on the roster.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Williams said of the rookie Hunter. “But I’m always excited for new teammates, new people to go work with, people to grind with and compete with. I’m excited for when those guys do come and get to work with them.”

Despite the young players competing for touches, Williams is looking forward to mentoring them.

“I’ve been in the league since I was 21 years old,“ he said. ”I’m an observer, I’m going to sit back, watch before I do anything. Being able to be surrounded by the type of vets that I was surrounded by earlier in my career, it makes it easier. It makes it exciting to be a young leader, I can take these guys underneath my wings and show them the way.

“I figured out my way, my own way. Nobody really showed me how to do it. Once I was able to get to where I’m at, it’s only right that I put it on the people who are going to be after me. I’m just going to take from the mistakes and everything that I learned from my work here to where I’m at now, try to put them on game, just be cheerful and be happy for them for whatever they do.”