Lammey: What signing RB Williams to practice squad means for Broncos
Sep 5, 2017, 11:44 PM
After the final 53-man roster was set this weekend, the Denver Broncos had just one practice squad spot left open.
Every team in the NFL gets 10 spots for practice squad players, but after Sunday the Broncos only had nine filled.
After practice Monday, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said options as to who would fill the slot were “being explored.”
“We’re not sure who it’s going to be, but it’s being explored,” Joseph said.
Indeed, the Broncos filled the hole on Tuesday — and at quite the hefty price.
Denver sign running back Jonathan Williams, a 2016 fifth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills, to the team’s practice squad for $510,000 per season. That’s an average of $30,000 per week compared to the minimum $7,200 a week practice squad players must be paid in 2017.
The Broncos clearly wanted Williams in the building, and he may soon find himself on the 53-man roster.
What makes Williams such an attractive option, and why did he slip through the waiver process unclaimed after he was waived by the Bills? Let’s take a look.
Flashes of potential
During his college career at Arkansas, Williams was the power element of the team’s rushing attack. At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Williams gave the team plenty of punch alongside backfield mate Alex Collins.
Williams is quite athletic for a big man. While not a burner, he does get down the field in a hurry and can make a big gain off the smallest gap.
Speaking of tight spaces, Williams can manipulate defenders in cramped quarters. He can plunge through a hole and break through tackles, but he can also use subtle moves to help get by defenders.
Williams missed the 2015 regular season after undergoing foot surgery but decided to go pro rather than take a medical redshirt season.
Why was Williams unclaimed?
It was a bit of a surprise the Bills waived Williams, as many had seen him as the primary backup behind superstar LeSean McCoy. Instead, the young running back was exposed to the waiver process in the NFL.
Another surprise, Williams went unclaimed by every NFL team.
Once unclaimed, I reached out to my sources with the Bills to see if there was something we didn’t know about Williams which led to every team passing on him.
I was assured by multiple sources the Bills didn’t have any problems with Williams — off the field or with health. Instead, the team just wanted to have more special teams versatility with the backs behind McCoy, like Joe Banyard and fullback Mike Tolbert.
With other teams already set for the start of the regular season, it seems like Williams was just able to fall through the cracks.
Where does he fit with the Broncos?
With the hefty salary, Williams is clearly a player this team covets. But finding a spot for him on the 53-man roster at this time may prove to be difficult.
Starting running back C.J. Anderson is the lead back for the Broncos once again this year and he’s backed up by four-time All-Pro Jamaal Charles. We should see Charles work as a change-of-pace back behind Anderson in 2017.
Devontae Booker, the team’s 2016 second pick, missed the entire preseason due to wrist surgery to fix a problem that plagued him back in OTAs and minicamp. Booker’s progress is on schedule, and he could return to the field in Week 2 or Week 3 of the regular season.
Add in 2017 sixth-round pick De’Angelo Henderson, and you can see this backfield is lousy with talent.
There’s not a lot of room for Williams unless injuries hit the depth chart above him.
But, if Denver needs some power added to its rushing attack in 2017 — for whatever reason — then Williams could be the answer.
