The most divided backfield we’ve seen in the Sean McVay era?

This year’s backfield split between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum could be the most shared workload we’ve seen over Sean McVay’s time with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s one of the most interesting dynamics across this refreshed roster.

In his early years, McVay seemed adamantly opposed to a shared backfield. Todd Gurley shouldered an outsized burden on his way to an Offensive Player of Award in 2017. The Rams ran Gurley’s wheels off, and 2019 concluded his career with the team. Even as Gurley’s effectiveness dipped in his last season in Los Angeles, the Rams were committed to giving him a larger workload.

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By necessity LA varied its approach in 2020-2o22. Sony Michel, Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers, and Malcolm Brown all took turns to prove they were the guy, and ultimately none were successful in the long term.

The Rams returned to a stable backfield in 2023 a year removed from identifying Williams in the fifth round. LA loved Williams so much they drafted his clone in the third round of the 2024 class in Blake Corum.

While Corum was relegated to the bench for most of the 2024 season before suffering an injury that held him out of the playoffs, he bounced back in a big way during his second year. 2025 brought the most mixed backfield we’ve seen in the McVay era outside of injuries forcing their hand.

Split backfields provide an inherent advantage in real football. If your primary back is injured, your offense won’t change much because it’s already used to the other guy. While Williams and Corum are overall similar players, they are just different enough that things feel varied when the more fleet of foot Corum steps onto the field.

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It took the Rams and McVay a long time to finally reach a modern NFL backfield. They’ve now arrived. This approach is certain to play dividends and keep Williams and Corum fresher than they’d otherwise be into the postseason. That is important for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

But fantasy football heads hate split backfields.

Despite rushing for more than 1,200 yards, 10 touchdowns, and hauling in 30 receptions in each of his last two seasons, Williams enters 2026 as just the 17th ranked back for fantasy football purposes. Corum remains one of the best bargain gambles in all of fantasy with a #38 ranking. This projects him as one of the best backups across the NFL.

Will the backfield of Williams and Corum in 2026 be the most mixed we’ve seen since Sean McVay joined the Rams in 2017?