Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Reverts to special teams role
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Rivers did not record a snap on offense and played 11 snaps on special teams during Sunday's 24-19 loss to the Packers.
For the first time this season, Rivers did not act as the backup to Kyren Williams, with Blake Corum filling the role instead. Whether this is a one-game test for the third-round rookie before the Rams go on bye in Week 6, or if Corum has officially jumped Rivers on the depth chart remains to be seen, but Corum notably produced very similar numbers to what Rivers had been producing with his touches (five rushes for 25 yards, one catch for eight yards). Regardless, the role of Williams hasn't changed, as he rushed 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, so neither Rivers nor Corum have much immediate value barring an injury to Williams.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Season-high usage in loss
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Rivers rushed six times for 26 yards during Sunday's 24-18 loss against Chicago.
The third-year back saw his usage creep up for the second consecutive week, taking the field for 13 of the Rams' 61 snaps on offense. For the third time in four weeks, rookie Blake Corum was used exclusively on special teams, leaving Rivers as the clear No. 2 behind Kyren Williams. Even with the slight uptick in usage, the Rams backfield still runs through Williams (19-94-1 on Sunday) heading into a Week 5 matchup against the Packers.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Pair of touches in victory
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Rivers rushed twice for nine yards during Sunday's 27-24 victory against San Francisco.
Kyren Williams (24-89-2 rushing line Sunday) is locked in as the starter for the Rams, but Rivers continued to work as the backup. The third-year pro converted a pivotal fourth down on a fake punt, keeping alive a drive that ended in a receiving touchdown for Williams. Notably, third-round rookie Blake Corum didn't take a snap on offense for the second time in three games, meaning Rivers seems firmly locked in as the backup to Williams, at least for now. Rivers likely will continue to have a limited role in the offense in a Week 4 contest against the Bears.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: One catch in defeat
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Rivers caught his only target for no gain and played three snaps on offense during Sunday's 41-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Kyren Williams continued to dominate the touches in the backfield, only yielding three snaps to Rivers before the game was completely out of hand. Rookie Blake Corum had eight rushing attempts, but all eight came on the final drive of the game with the game already wrapped up, so his usage was likely to eat up the remaining clock and protect an already depleted offense from taking any further damage. It appears that, so long as Williams is healthy, Rivers and Corum will be mostly used for special teams, but Rivers is the only other back on the roster to play meaningful snaps through the Rams' first two games.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: On track for No. 3 RB job?
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Rivers "seemingly has the best chance to be the No. 3 running back" for the Rams, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.
Rivers was the No. 2 back at times last season but now figures to fall behind rookie third-round pick Blake Corum, who reportedly has been impressive at training camp. With Corum profiling as Kyren Williams' backup, Rivers and Boston Scott are the favorites for back-end roster spots, which might mean more playing time on special teams than offense.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Inks contract tender
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Rivers signed his contract tender with the Rams on Monday.
Rivers suited up for nine games in 2023 as a backup to Kyren Williams, logging 32 carries for 129 yards and while securing all five of his targets for 22 yards. He and Zach Evans could have a chance to compete for the No. 2 backfield role this offseason, pending Los Angeles' additions in the 2024 NFL Draft and/or free agency. Rivers has looked solid in limited action as a pass catcher, which could open further paths for opportunities on offense if he's able to impress in the coming months.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Adequate in spot start Sunday
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Rivers rushed 13 times for 52 yards and was not targeted as a receiver in Sunday's 21-20 win over the 49ers.
Breakout tailback Kyren Williams was rested along with several other key starters for Sunday's inconsequential contest, which afforded Rivers a chance to make a rare start. The stout RB averaged 4.0 yards on his 13 carries, but he finished as his club's second-leading rusher behind quarterback Carson Wentz's 17-56-1 line. Rivers nearly doubled his season rushing total from his previous eight appearances, highlighting just how small his role is when Williams is active -- which should be the case for next Sunday's playoff matchup against the Lions.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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If the Rams opt to rest Kyren Williams in Week 18 then look for Rivers and Royce Freeman (19 percent rostered) to get the majority of touches against the 49ers. I'd lean toward Rivers as the lead option, and the Rams have had a running back score at least 11.5 PPR points in all but three games this season, including seven outings in a row. The 49ers also are expected to rest players on defense, and they have allowed a running back to score at least 11.6 PPR points in three games in a row.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Returns from IR
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The Rams activated Rivers (knee) from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game against the Saints.
Rivers was designated for return from IR on Tuesday and was a full participant in two walk-through sessions this week, and though the Rams appear to be comfortable enough with his health to add him back to the 53-man roster, he may be in store for only a minor role Thursday. Before landing on IR on Oct. 18 with a PCL sprain, Rivers had emerged as the top understudy to starting running back Kyren Williams and averaged a respectable 4.4 yards on 13 carries to go with four catches for 18 yards over his six appearances for the Rams. However, given Rivers' lengthy layoff along with the fact that Royce Freeman has been similarly efficient in a reserve role, Rivers could find himself as the No. 3 option on the depth chart moving forward.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Practice window opens
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The Rams designated Rivers (knee) for return from injured reserve Tuesday.
Prior to spraining his PCL in Week 6, Rivers showed some flashes in the first six games of the campaign, averaging 4.4 yards on his 13 carries and also hauling in all four targets for 18 yards. The Rams play the Saints on Thursday, so he doesn't have much time to put himself in a position to return to action this week. Having said that, Tuesday's practice report will reveal how much work Rivers was able to handle.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Expected to miss 4-5 weeks
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Rivers is expected to be sidelined 4-to-5 weeks with a sprained PCL in his knee, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
A trip to injured reserve could be in Rivers' near future. The Rams' No. 2 running back, Rivers has rushed 13 times for 57 scoreless yards this season and has caught all four of his targets for 18 yards. With Rivers and Kyren Williams (ankle) banged up, rookie Zach Evans and veteran Royce Freeman could handle backfield duties Week 7 against the Steelers.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Feared to have sprained PCL
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Rivers is believed to have a PCL sprain that could sideline him for multiple weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Rivers will undergo an MRI to confirm the diagnosis, but the initial prognosis does not bode well for his chances at suiting up in Week 7 versus Pittsburgh. With Kyren Williams (ankle) dealing with an injury of his own, the Rams could be severely short-handed in their backfield for that contest.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Career-high 47 rushing yards
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Rivers rushed nine times for 47 yards and caught both of his targets for 10 yards during Sunday's 29-23 overtime win versus the Colts.
One week removed from fellow backfield mate Kyren Williams playing 100 percent of the snaps against the Bengals, a more traditional split of the rushing work -- 73 percent for Williams, 27 percent for Rivers -- was seemingly a boon for both players. Williams enjoyed his first 100-yard rushing game as a pro, while Rivers set career highs in rushing yardage and rushing attempts and tied his career-best snap total. Rivers has shown flashes of brilliance when given opportunities, and he should remain the primary backup to Williams over Royce Freeman and Zach Evans while serving as a valuable insurance policy for Williams' fantasy managers.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Plays just four snaps
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Rivers caught his only target for four yards during Sunday's 30-23 loss to the 49ers.
With Cam Akers (coach's decision) a surprise inactive, Rivers was elevated to the primary backup role behind starter Kyren Williams. That role turned out to be basically non-existent, as Williams was used as a true three-down back for all but one of the Rams' drives. Rivers will likely serve as the primary backup to Williams again in a Week 3 tilt against the Bengals barring any sudden changes with Akers' situation.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Sticks with team for now
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Rivers has a spot on the Rams' initial 53-man roster, Stu Jackson of the official team website reports.
The Rams kept both Rivers and Zach Evans behind Cam Akers and Kyren Williams. They won't necessarily stick with four RBs throughout the season, so either Rivers or Evans could be sent to the practice squad in the coming days/weeks. Rivers bounced between the practice squad and active roster as an undrafted rookie last year, playing 25 snaps on offense and 36 snaps on special teams in eight games for the Rams.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Efficient with six carries Saturday
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Rivers rushed six times for 32 yards in the Rams' 41-0 preseason loss to the Broncos on Saturday night.
Rivers was the first Rams running back to log a touch and generated consistent gains on his six carries. The undrafted second-year pro from Fresno State has potentially done enough to secure a roster spot after amassing 105 rushing yards on 21 carries through three preseason games, as he's certainly outperformed rookie sixth-round pick Zach Evans and veteran Royce Freeman.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Solid in preseason start
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Rivers rushed nine times for 42 yards in the Rams' 34-17 preseason loss to the Raiders on Saturday night. He also returned one kickoff for 18 yards.
The undrafted second-year pro was the first Rams running back to log a touch and ended up pacing the team in carries and rushing yards. Rivers outpaced rookie Zach Evans by just one rush attempt, but he was seven ahead of veteran Royce Freeman, who could be his primary competition for a roster spot heading into next Saturday night's preseason finale against the Broncos.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Signed to active roster
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The Rams signed Rivers to their active roster Saturday.
Rivers has gone back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster this season, and he's suited up in three games with the Rams, tallying nine carries for 21 yards and five catches for 29 yards. His signing to the active roster comes four days after Los Angeles waived former lead back Darrell Henderson. Rivers will likely work as the Rams' No. 3 ball carrier behind Cam Akers and Kyren Williams on Sunday against Kansas City.
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Ronnie Rivers: Returns to practice squad
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Rivers reverted to the Rams' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Rivers was elevated from the practice squad for the third game in a row ahead of Sunday's 16-13 loss to Tampa Bay. However, the rookie running back did not record a rush for the first time during this span, as played just four special-teams snaps Week 9. Rivers has totaled nine rushes for 21 yards and five receptions (on five targets) for 29 yards in 2022, and he'll now require a full spot on the active roster in order to suit up for the Rams moving forward this season.
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Rams' Ronnie Rivers: Rejoins active roster
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Rivers was elevated from the Rams' practice squad Saturday.
Perhaps more crucially, rookie running back Kyren Williams (ankle) was not activated off injured reserve, meaning Rivers and Darrell Henderson are expected to operate as the top options out of the backfield come Sunday. Head coach Sean McVay didn't rule out the possibility of Cam Akers making his return after a two-game absence due to personal reasons, but even if Akers were to be active, it seems entirely possible the combo of Rivers and Henderson will continue to operate at the top of the depth chart given the former's public spats with the team. Rivers carried the ball eight times for 21 yards and operated as the backfield's top pass catcher (4-15) in last week's loss to the 49ers.
