Rams' Kyren Williams Faces Resurgent Running Backs For Division Crown

The NFC West rushing title has been a hot potato over the past 25 years, bouncing between players on all four teams that make up the division and in 2025, the division has four running backs ready to take the crown.

Rams' Kyren Williams, the incumbent holder of the crown, would have had back-to-back winning seasons, but while Williams' finished third in the NFL for rushing yards in 2023, 49ers Christian McCaffery was first.

McCaffery's injury-riddled 2024 gave Williams the lane to take the title, but McCaffery wants it back, and according to 49ers fullback Kyle Juszcyk, McCaffery looks better than ever.

"Christian is arguably the best player in the NFL,"Juszczyk told The Athletic's Vic Tafur. "He was the offensive Player of the Year two years ago. He changes everything, and he looks incredible. He looks so healthy, he looks so explosive."

While Williams and McCaffery went after the title in 2023, do not discount Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner enters his fifth year in Arizona and has improved in every year, achieving back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons over the past two years.

Conner finished 2024 205 yards short of the title.

While Williams, Conner, and McCaffery are the three players to keep an eye on, the true dark horse is in Seattle. Kenneth Walker III enters his final year under contract, statistically regressing over the past two seasons after recording a 1,000-yard season as a rookie.

Now playing in a new, Shanahan-based scheme and with his ankle injury seemingly healed, CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso believes Walker could experience a massive resurgence in 2025.

"Kenneth Walker III got a raw deal last season in Seattle. His yards-per-carry average dipped for the third-straight season from 4.6 to 4.1 to 3.7, and he averaged fewer than 14 carries per game for the first time in his professional career," wrote Trapasso.

"The dip in production was completely centered around the Seahawks unstable, porous offensive line. Because Walker forced the most missed tackles of his NFL career (61) on the fewest amount of touches he's ever gotten in a season (153), and his 3.05 yards-after-contact-per-carry figure of 3.05 rivaled his rookie-year figure of 3.08."

"In 2025, the Seahawks will at least start the season more healthy up front, with at times punishing left tackle Abraham Lucas ready for the season after not playing until Week 11 last year. Plus, the Seahawks selected uber-athletic blocker Grey Zabel in the first round of the draft."

"Walker is genuinely one of the most naturally talented running backs in the NFL. I expect him to start producing closer to his rookie year in his fourth season in the Pacific Northwest in 2025."

Four 1,000-yard running backs, the hopes of a new season, and a singular crown up for grabs. So who takes it in 2025?