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The Buffalo Bills are parting ways with the running back who notched a breakout performance in the 2020 season finale and later became a popular fan suggestion to break the team’s rushing woes.
The team announced on Thursday that Antonio Williams was released from the practice squad. Williams came to the Bills last season as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina, spending most of his first season on and off of the practice squad before finally seeing extended playing time against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. Though Williams impressed in his limited chances, he never earned a call-up to the active roster again after that game.
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Bills Make Roster Moves
Williams’s release came amid a series of other roster moves from the Bills, which included activating offensive lineman Cody Ford and cornerback Cam Lewis from the Reserve/COVID-19 list and elevating tight end Quintin Morris from the practice squad Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Williams was a relatively unknown quantity when he broke out in the 56-26 win over the Dolphins on January 3, 2021. He had 12 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns in that game, prompting some fans to call on the team to give him more opportunities. Williams was not on the active roster again after that game, however, and the Bills turned to the speedy Matt Breida when the normal duo of Zack Moss and Devin Singletary struggled this season.
The Bills have gotten some other key offensive players back this week, thanks in part to a change from the CDC. After the agency changed its guidance to allow those infected with COVID-19 to leave isolation in five days under certain conditions, the NFL followed suit and changed its own rule that previously required unvaccinated players to spend 10 days away from teammates. Under the new guideline, the Bills were able to get receivers Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis back earlier this week, with both now eligible to play in the January 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Bills Running Game Gets on Track
After Buffalo’s running game sputtered for several weeks during the middle of this season, the team has improved its ground attack in recent weeks by giving more touches to Singletary. As RochesterFirst.com noted, the third-year back has averaged close to 90 total scrimmage yards across the last three games and scored touchdowns in each of the last two games, wins over the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots.
Singletary earned some big praise from head coach Sean McDermott for an early tone-setting catch against the Patriots where he was hit by Kyle Duggar after making a catch but dragged the Patriots safety another seven yards for a first down.
“It’s clear he’s raised his game and he’s raised his level of play to a standard we’ve been looking for,” Sean McDermott said. “At the same time, I think he’s challenged everybody on the offense with his level of play and his consistency. He played bigger. He’s not a real big guy, but he plays bigger and he gives tremendous effort and I think he inspires people by that.”
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