WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – As a team, the Rams learned what they were capable of after rebounding from a 1-4 start to win the NFC West and reach the Divisional Round of the playoffs. But their 2024 season ended in a game that some say they were two plays away from winning.
Running back Kyren Williams likes the team's trajectory as they continue their preparation this spring. On an individual level, he's doing his part to ensure it stays on that path – keenly aware of his own mistakes made last season, but in the right space mentally to address and move past them.
"As a team, we know the direction that we're headed, and we know we're working off of what happened, what didn't happen last year, and every day we're coming in to work," Williams told theRams.com after Tuesday's OTA practice. "For me personally, I'm more excited more than anything to get back to this year after last year and just going through all the trials and tribulations of the long season.
"I was able to play throughout the whole season, so I was able to learn from that, but also from the mistakes too – the fumbling and the mental lapses of just being out there," Williams continued. "But for me, I'm a lot more clear coming into this year, I have a lot more focus-driven goal. I'm not worried about a lot of things on the outside that doesn't affect me. I'm more worried about how I can affect this team positively, and how I can be the best version of myself every single day."
It is the mental lapses that Williams attributed those fumbles to. His five were tied with the Jets' Breece Hall for second-most among running backs in the NFL during the regular season last year, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats data. His three lost tied with the packers' Josh Jacobs and the Patriots' Rhamondre Stevenson for most.
As physical of a sport as football is, Williams said that "your mental takes you way further than any physical attribute can." The 5-foot-9, 202-pound running back said those miscues had nothing to do with him not being strong physically, more so his mental space and mental capacity last season – specifically not being where he needed to be mentally all the time.
"And so that's why I'm excited to get back this year, because it's a whole different feel and a whole different view of where I'm at mentally," he said.
Williams credits getting back into his faith and talking to God each day, and being grounded in that as a big part of him getting into a better mental space. He has also made a concerted effort to protect what he allows to enter his mind.
"Last year I let a lot of things that didn't particularly matter to me affect me, you know? And so now I'm more focused on more worldly things," Williams explained. "How can I be the best person? How can I be the best human? How can I be the best player that I can be every single day? And everything else will follow."
Mistakes aside, Williams still put together another highly productive productive season, authoring his second-straight campaign with more than 1,100 rushing yards and double-digit rushing touchdowns; each of those totals (1,299 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns) surpassed career bests that had been established in 2023. His 14 rushing touchdowns tied with the Falcons' Bijan Robinson for fifth-most among running backs in the 2024 regular season.
Heading into 2025, though, he's not worried about "being the greatest football player," or his contract as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
"I'm not worried about none of that stuff," Williams said. "Right now, I'm focused on how I can positively impact these people on my team."
