Rams' Kyren Williams, the Ultimate Professional

Back in 2023, I did some research about his impact, and the numbers tell the whole story. After Williams went down with injury, the Rams' offense was awful. Another reason the Rams' offense was awful is that Sean McVay, with Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson, seemed to want to throw the ball on second downs. That would often set up a third and long situation that the Rams would struggle to convert.

Williams comes back, McVay has the confidence to run the ball more, and the Rams increase their points output by two touchdowns.

In 2024, it was Williams who carried a tired Rams offense into the postseason. While Matthew Stafford, a man who was making uncharacteristic decisions with the football, decisions that likely were made due to fatigue.

And now, despite Williams' expressing hope towards finalizing an extension in the near future before he plays on a contract year, a deal has yet to be completed, Williams was showing full effort and intensity at OTA's, something that Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford spoke about after practice.

"Yeah, I think first of all, (agent) Drew (Rosenhaus) been out outstanding. I think the dialogue has been really healthy and the one thing about these negotiations is trying to be able to figure out, alright, where is that? That line that that fits what everybody wants to be able to get done. And we all know how much we love Kyren. Drew's got a responsibility."

"I think his communication's been excellent and Kyren has been the same stud that we know, great demeanor, great willingness to come out here to work, to be able to get better. He's been great in terms of our communication. It means a lot just because you don't minimize those things are real and those are real things that guys have to navigate. You want to make sure that you're asking the right questions, giving them opportunities to be able to give you that feed back and just keep the communication lines open. Hopefully we'll see where this goes, but I think it's been really healthy and positive progress for sure.”

Stafford spoke about Williams as well.

“I'm hesitant to talk about anybody else's business. I just know the kind of player that Kyren is and the kind of human being and the teammate that he is. We all love and respect him. The way he goes about his business, the way he works, the way he plays the game, it jumps off the screen. I know to you guys as well, just the passion that he plays with, so not surprising that he's out here when the football is put down on the ground he's playing. Whatever needs to happen for him and for us as a team, that's not my business, but I love having him as a teammate, love and I respect the way he plays and goes about his business.”

If contract talks are not finalized, there will be a time where a hold out might benefit Williams but the fact that he's at OTAs, he's going full effort, it means something and whether he remains a Ram or not after 2025, the NFL is looking at Williams as a guy they want on the field and in their locker room.