Sean McVay appears to be a gambling man.
The Los Angeles Rams head coach McVay stunned many fans on Tuesday by revealing the team’s plan for running back phenom Kyren Williams. McVay said that Williams will be serving as the Rams’ punt returner in addition to his regular offensive duties (per Sarah Barshop of ESPN).
Williams, 24, emerged as a star for the Rams last season, rushing for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a receiver, he also added 206 more yards and three more TDs, earning both Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for his efforts.
The former Notre Dame star Williams is one of the shiftier runners in the league and excels at finding open spaces, both with the ball in his hands and as a route runner. But it will still be a major risk for the Rams to use him as a punt returner this season.
At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, Williams is small for his position. He also struggles with injuries, having spent time on IR in each of the last two seasons (due to two separate high-ankle sprains).
NFL teams very rarely use their top skill players on special teams, in large part due to the unnecessary injury risk. While Williams did have experience as a punt returner in college and even returned three of them last season for the Rams, that may be as bad of an idea as the one that this other NFL team flirted with earlier this offseason.
