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Dexter Williams could have a chance to help out the Cleveland Browns’ backfield in the upcoming week with three of their top four running backs currently out of commission.
Williams, a 2019 sixth-round pick for the Green Bay Packers, was signed to the Browns’ practice squad on November 10 after having a tryout with the team earlier in the day. There is also a good chance that he could be elevated to the active roster for Week 10’s matchup with the New England Patriots given that Kareem Hunt is on injured reserve and both Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton are on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Williams spent two years with the Packers prior to the 2021 season but only managed seven carries for 18 yards during that time, getting lost in a rotation that featured Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and — in 2020 — AJ Dillon. While he was thought to have a shot at making their 53-man roster this season, he was waived in favor of seventh-round rookie Kylin Hill and lost his practice-squad spot to second-year Patrick Taylor.
Since his departure from Green Bay, Williams has also had two separate stints with the New York Giants’ practice squad, but he received no elevation opportunities either time. His most recent one also only lasted about four days before he was cut loose again.
Still, Williams may now find himself in the right place at the right time. D’Ernest Johnson has been an excellent lead option for the Browns, but he is the only rusher on their active roster at the moment and can’t be expected to stay that way heading into the weekend against the Patriots. If Chubb and Felton don’t clear the COVID-19 protocol in time, the Browns will have Williams and fellow newcomer Brian Hill to consider for promotion.
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Taylor Prevailed Over Williams in Camp
There was nothing too surprising about Williams being left off the Packers’ active roster coming into the 2021 season. They were already loaded up in the backfield with Jones and Dillon serving as their one-two punch and had seen enough good things out of Hill in the preseason as both a ball carrier and kick returner to trust him as their third man.
The only slight surprise might have been the team choosing Taylor over Williams as their practice-squad running back.
Taylor didn’t get to play a single snap during his 2020 rookie season as he healed from a foot injury he sustained in his final year at Memphis, but the Packers were content to be patient with him and see what he could bring their offense with a season to learn and get his body back into playing shape. After all, there was no rush to find an instant contributor with Jones re-signing in free agency and Dillon only in the second season of his four-year rookie contract.
Overall, Taylor had a decent preseason with an average of 3.9 yards on 23 carries and two catches for an additional 22 yards; though, it was debatable by the end of the final exhibition game if he or Williams had shown more on the field. Williams touted a better average (4.9 yards) on fewer carries (17) than Taylor and seemed to have a better feel for making defenders miss tackles. He also didn’t fumble it as Taylor had.
Ultimately, the Packers cut their losses after putting two years into developing Williams and kept Taylor around as their fourth-string back to possibly develop for a bigger role. That might not seem particularly important to some, but it became more notable last week when Taylor was signed to the active roster to take over for Hill — who tore his ACL — as the team’s third stringer. While he played just eight special teams snaps in his regular-season NFL debut against Kansas City, his role could continue to expand if he starts figuring out ways to make his presence known.
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