Getty Newly-signed Giants RB Dexter Williams, formerly of the Packers.
The New York Giants are more than a bit thin in the backfield. Starter Saquon Barkley (ankle) will miss his fourth consecutive game in Week 9, while quarterback Daniel Jones currently paces the entire team in rushing with 241 yards. With that in mind, New York went out and added some reinforcement to the running back position in the form of a familiar face.
Former Green Bay Packers draft pick Dexter Williams, who spent the majority of September with the team, was once again added to the Giants’ practice squad on Friday, November 6th. However, by the time Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff against the Raiders comes around, the expectation is that Williams will be part of the G-Men’s active roster.
“Giants signed Dexter Williams to PS yesterday. Would imagine he is a PS elevation later today due to Devontae Booker and Eli Penny being the only healthy RB available tomorrow,” tweeted USA Today’s Art Stapleton.
Expect Williams to Get Snaps With Barkley & Gary Brightwell Out
Like Barkley, rookie running back Gary Brightwell is believed to have tested false-positive for COVID earlier in the week (h/t Giants Wire), landing him on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The team endured a multitude of false positives during the practice week which led to limited access and the axing of in-facility meetings leading up to the Raiders bout. However, while Barkley returned to the team’s facilities on Friday after it was determined that false-positive tests were what landed him and starting safety Xavier McKinney on the COVID-19 list, Brightwell will apparently remain on the list through gameday, via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
The Giants won’t have rookie RB Gary Brightwell back from the COVID-19 reserve list for tomorrow’s game, per source. Receivers Kenny Golladay (knee) and John Ross (quad), both listed as questionable, are expected to play as long as they don’t have any setbacks.
Brightwell has been used sparingly on offense over the early part of his rookie campaign. The sixth-round Arizona product has played just 10 offensive snaps over the first eight weeks of the season. He has been far more active on special teams, where he’s played 59% (125 snaps) of the team’s special teams snaps thus far — this is likely where Williams will factor into the gameplan mainly vs. Las Vegas. Having said that, the former Notre Dame standout could get a handful of looks in the backfield should the team continue to struggle to muster up yardage in the ground game early on come Sunday.
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Can Williams Sneak Into Big Blue’s Saquon-Less RB Rotation?
During his four-year run in South Bend, Williams proved to be a fairly prolific collegiate back, amassing 1,798 yards from scrimmage and 22 total touchdowns for the Fighting Irish. As a senior in 2018, Williams rushed for a career-high 995 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Williams would go on to be drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft (194th overall). The Florida native spent two seasons in Wisconsin, buried on the Packers depth chart behind the likes of Pro Bowler Aaron Jones and now-Lions “starter” Jamaal Williams.
Williams’ path to carries in New York will be far less difficult to come by than they were in Green Bay — at least in the immediate future. With Barkley remaining out, Booker is in line for his fourth consecutive start. Over his previous three games, the veteran tailback has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and found the endzone just once.
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