During his 12 years with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford only had one running back rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. That was Reggie Bush in 2013, when he barely cracked the 1,000-yard mark with 1,006 yards.
In five years with the Rams, he’s already had three 1,000-yard rushers, with Kyren Williams going over that total in each of the last three seasons. He now has Williams and Blake Corum to lean on, which is a game-changer for the veteran quarterback.
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Williams is on pace for more than 1,000 yards and Corum is once again on track to eclipse 700 yards rushing, giving Stafford two dynamic backs to hand the ball off to. He spoke about how great that feeling is Wednesday, praising the Rams’ two running backs for their ability to do everything asked of them.
“I trust both of those guys to execute any play we have in our offense at any time,” Stafford said. “I think our coaches do the same. It’s a unique situation. I haven’t been a part of that before where you haven’t thought to yourself, ‘Okay, we want to lean on these types of plays when this guy’s in and these types of plays when the other guy’s in.’ I think you’re really comfortable with both those guys doing everything we ask of a halfback in this offense. It’s an awesome feeling as a player, knowing that you’re getting a guy who’s fresh and motivated and ready to rock and roll. I know those guys feed off each other, push each other, and want the best for each other.”
When the Rams drafted Corum in 2024, they did so knowing he has a similar skill set to Williams. That may have seemed redundant, but the benefit is that Sean McVay can call any play regardless of which running back is on the field.
It’s not a situation where one is the power runner and the other is the change-of-pace guy. They can be used interchangeably, much to the benefit of McVay as a play caller. That’s exactly why Stafford said he isn’t necessarily conscious of which running back is on the field for a specific play.
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Against the Raiders last week, he handed it off to Williams 17 times and Corum 16 times, with the two running backs combining for 192 yards and two touchdowns. It doesn’t get more balanced than that.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford: ‘Awesome feeling’ to have 2 RBs like Williams and Corum
