Rams Running Back Usage Could Shift to 50-50 Split With Blake Corum Emerging

While Matthew Stafford had an MVP season last year for the Los Angeles Rams, it wasn’t just the passing game that thrived, but also the running game. When Stafford joined the Rams, he played with one 1,000-yard rusher in his career. He played with just 11 individual 100-yard rushers with the Detroit Lions.

Last season was a testament to what can happen when Stafford has a top running game. The Rams averaged 0.21 rushing EPA per play as an offense with a rushing success rate of 50.1 percent. In fact, the gap between the Rams at one with a rushing success rate of 50.1 percent and the Buffalo Bills at two with a rushing success rate of 46.6 percent was slightly more than the gap between the Bills at two and the Green Bay Packers at nine.

The duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum turned out to be the 1-2 punch at running back that the Rams needed. While neither is a home-run hitter, Corum provides more shiftiness at the second level. Keeping Williams fresh allowed him to remain incredibly efficient. As a pairing, they combined for 1,998 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

There was some speculation that the Rams might go after Jeremiyah Love in the draft. However, if they weren’t able to trade up for Love, the Rams were always going to be content running it back with Williams and Corum. The real question becomes if their usage changes at all in 2026. Williams took 64.1 percent of the pairing’s carries last season. With Corum’s success, could that change?

The Athletic’s Nate Atkins said, “Expect this to be more of a 50-50 split this season, with Williams as a primary third-down back and between-the-tackles runner and Corum more of a change-of-pace option with explosive capabilities.”

Williams signed an extension last season, but the Rams reaped the benefits of a great running back duo in 2025. A fresher Williams resulted in a player that consistently took over the fourth quarter. Williams’ 384 yards in the fourth quarter was second in the NFL behind only Jonathan Taylor. He also had a 58.2 percent rushing success rate in the fourth quarter.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Williams used more in the red zone and in short-yardage situations. However, Corum also showed that he deserves more of a role as well. Figuring out the balance will be key to the Rams’ offensive success in 2026. When used between each team’s 25-yard line, Corum averaged 5.6 yards per carry which was the fifth-best in the NFL among running backs with 50 or more carries. There were also only three running backs who were more adept at creating explosive plays.

Meanwhile, only Jahmyr Gibbs had more total yards in 1-3 yards to go situations than Williams. Williams was also one of seven running backs with 10 or more touchdowns in the red zone.If there was one thing the Rams learned last season, it’s that the answer in the run game wasn’t just Williams or Corum. The answer was always finding ways to utilize both. With a full season together, the Rams should have a good idea on how to best utilize both running backs. Both Corum and Williams offer a unique skill set and a 50-50 split makes sense.

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