LA Rams running back Kyren Williams expected to be out 6 to 8 weeks following ankle surgery

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is set to have surgery on his injured right ankle sometime on Friday. Following surgery, the former Fighting Irish standout is expected to miss six to eight weeks, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. The former Notre Dame star suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter of the Rams’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. The injury occurred during the opening kickoff of the game, which ended up being his only snap. Brandon Powell got tackled into Williams’ right ankle on a kick return.

It’s the latest in a string of bad injury luck during the past few months for Williams. This summer, he missed time in offseason drills due to a broken foot. The 5-9, 199-pound running back signed a four-year, $3.97 million contract with the Rams after he was chosen with the No. 164 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kyren Williams had an outstanding career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

In 2021, Williams had 204 carries for 1,002 yards (4.9 yards per attempt), his second straight 1,000-yard season. Including his work in the passing game, Williams touched the ball a total of 246 times and racked up 1,361 total yards from scrimmage during his junior season. He scored a total of 17 touchdowns, 14 of which were on the ground. He earned honorable mention All-American honors following the season from Phil Steele.

Perhaps the highlight of his college career was against Clemson in 2020. He shredded the Tiger defense to the tune of 140 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. It marked the first three-touchdown game of his career and his outstanding performance helped lift the Fighting Irish to a 47-40 victory over top-ranked Clemson in double overtime.

Ashton Pollard also contributed to this article.