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A fan-favorite former Buffalo Bills running back could find his way back into the league just one week after being released twice by the same team.
Antonio Williams only appeared in one game over his two seasons with the Bills, but made a big impression on fans with his electric preseason runs and a breakout performance in the 2020 season finale against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills lost Williams last offseason as he signed a futures contract with the New York Giants, but the 24-year-old was cut twice in separate moves last week and is now looking for a new team.
Williams may not be gone for long, as he scored a workout this week with an NFC South team in need of some running back help.
Williams Lands Another Chance
Williams made a visit to the New Orleans Saints this week as the team explored free agency for some depth at the position. As Pro Football Network reported, the team also brought in some other veterans, including Jordan Howard, Jordan Wilkins, and A.J. Rose.
The Saints have lost a pair of running backs over the last two weeks. On October 3, the Denver Broncos signed veteran Latavius Murray off the New Orleans practice squad, providing some depth after they lost Javonte Williams to a season-ending ACL tear.
New Orleans also lost third-year running back Tony Jones Jr. when he was released and then picked up on a waiver claim. As John Sigler of USA Today’s Saints Wire noted, the Saints may have had long-term plans for Jones, but three teams placed waiver claims on him and they were unable to bring him back.
“New Orleans may have had designs for Jones to return to their practice squad after going unclaimed, but several other teams were waiting for him to become available, and now he’ll be running for another squad,” Sigler wrote.
Bills Fans Pushed for Williams to Get a Shot
While he never had much of a chance to make an impact in Buffalo, many Bills fans pushed for Williams to take on a bigger role with the team during his two seasons there. He showed off his potential in the team’s final game of the 2020 season, when the Bills had locked up the AFC East and were resting many of their starters against the Dolphins. Williams had 12 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns in the game, helping push the Bills to a 56-26 win.
As the Bills often struggled to establish a running game throughout the 2021-22 season, many fans advocated for Williams to make a move off the practice squad and onto the active roster. The Bills eventually found their answer in Devin Singletary, who averaged more than 96.5 all-purpose yards per game over the final six games of the regular season, scoring eight touchdowns during that stretch.
Williams initially landed a futures contract with the Giants in January and earned a spot on the practice squad, but was released twice in the last week. Williams appeared in two games for the Giants this season but only saw a total of two snaps on offense while playing mostly on special teams.
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