Jonathan Williams given opportunity with the Buffalo Bills
Following the release of running back Karlos Williams from the Buffalo Bills, a void has opened up at the backup running back spot on the team. Accounting for nine rushing touchdowns last season, Williams will be a tough man to replace on the Bills offense this season.
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The battle for that position on the depth chart will likely be decided by two men. Rookie Jonathan Williams and veteran tail back Mike Gillislee. Out of those two, Williams is definitely the player with the biggest upside but also the player with the highest risk of injury problems in the future.
Returning to Arkansas for his senior season last year, Williams missed out the entire Razorbacks campaign due to a foot injury he sustained during the team’s preseason camp. While he did recover to play during the Senior Bowl, missing an entire season due to injury does raise some red flags.
That said, Williams is a top talent that would have likely been taken earlier in the draft had he not dealt with a season-long injury. Rushing for 44-yards in the Bills first preseason contest against the Colts, Williams showed that he is a future prospect for the Buffalo Bills offense to look forward to.
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The only real threat to Williams shot at being the second-string running back this season is Mike Gillislee. Coming to Buffalo for the final five games of last season, Gillislee rushed for a total of 267-yards while also scoring three touchdowns for the Bills. Though he is off to a slow start this preseason, Gillislee’s performance late last season could be good enough to warrant Rex Ryan giving him the spot based on his veteran status.
Playing a potential spoiler in this whole scenario will be veteran running back Reggie Bush. Signed just before the beginning of the preseason, Bush was brought to Buffalo as a return specialist and change of pace running back. Head coach Rex Ryan has already said that Bush will be used only in a “Ferrari” package.
For Jonathan Williams, this could be the best chance of his career to make a lasting impact in the NFL. Playing at a high level for the next couple of weeks should help his case within the coaching staff. After all, playing on the defending rushing champions offense, Williams could be in for a big debut season.
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