Now more than ever, running backs are an integral part of an offense's passing attack. Coaches have discovered that throwing to the back can essentially be an extension of the ground game, be it swing passes or designed screens.
Running between the tackles is an easy way to get the ball into the hands of one of your best playmakers without forcing them to take a hit from defensive tackles. And when a running back faces a cornerback in the open field, he can use his physicality to gain yards after contact by breaking tackles.
As popular as running back targets have become, no one told Sean McVay about this trend. For some reason he refuses to use his running backs as receivers, and that's a simple element missing from the Los Angeles Rams' offense.
The Rams have by far the lowest running back target rate of any team this season at just 9.6%. Every other team targets their running backs at least 13.1% of the time. In comparison, the Rams have their wide receivers reach at a league-high 75.5% and their tight end target percentage is 14.9%, the fourth lowest in football.
Translation: The Rams throw to their wide receivers three-quarters of the time.
It's not like this is a one-year thing for the Rams, either. Here are their running back target rates since 2017 and their annual rankings.
- 2017: 19.8% (21st)
- 2018: 17.8% (23rd)
- 2019: 10% (32nd)
- 2020: 12.6% (30th)
- 2021: 12.6% (32nd)
- 2022: 12.2% (31st)
- 2023: 12.4% (32nd)
- 2024: 9.6% (32nd)
You'll notice that there was a sharp decline between 2018 and 2019 as Todd Gurley went from All-Pro to a shell of his former self due to a knee injury. After Gurley dropped, the Rams stopped throwing to their running backs.
It's not because they haven't had good setbacks either.
Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. were both very capable pass catchers out of the backfield, as was Kyren Williams. During the draft, Blake Corum's ball-handling skills caught their eye during Michigan's pro day, and they were impressed with how confident he looked catching passes.
So what is there? Why do the Rams use their running backs as receivers almost every year less than any other team in the NFL? This season was particularly bad in that regard, as their running back target rate of 9.6% was the lowest in the NFL since the 49ers only had an RB target rate of 8.1% in 2014.
That's not because Williams had trouble catching the ball. Sure, he has a drop, but of the 29 passes thrown his way this season, he has caught 25. That's a solid 86.2% catch rate and shows how easy these completions are for Stafford.
The main reason for Williams' lack of targets is his heavy use in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, he has blocked 121 passes this season. That's 41 more than the next closest running back, Javonte Williams.
Williams is averaging just 5.4 yards per reception, but the problem is that his average target depth is 1.3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. That's the ninth-lowest rate of all running backs with at least 14 targets per PFF.
Kyle Juszczyk (5.3), Christian McCaffrey (3.9) and Jordan Mason (3.4) rank first, second and third among tailbacks in average target depth this season, showing how Kyle Shanahan has his Deploys running backs on actual routes beyond the line of scrimmage. This creates a mismatch with slower linebackers who cannot cover the backs.
Even if McVay doesn't want to send Williams on pick or angle routes, he can call a screen or two every now and then. That would have been particularly useful on Sunday night against the Eagles, when Philadelphia's pass rushers stuck their ears and consistently pursued Stafford.
The best counter to a blitz or strong pass rush is a pass to the running back that keeps the defense honest. Still, the Rams threw zero passes to Williams for the second week in a row, and Corum didn't see a single target either.
The sample size is small, but Corum's four receptions this season were for 7 yards, 7 yards, 8 yards and 9 yards. Most of those were check downs as well, but imagine what he could do in the open field on a screen pass with a convoy of blockers in front of him.
With an offense that sputters, especially on third downs, it might be time to change things up and try something new. Throws to Williams and Corum can lead to easy completions and keep the offense on schedule on first and second downs.
