Karlos

Williams

Williams had been out of the league since March 2017. He’ll shop for a second chance this offseason, though Williams was bouncing around practice squads before his indefinite suspension. We’d be surprised if Williams were on a Week 1 roster.

Williams is thought to be upwards of 30 pounds overweight and failed to show the Bills he is passionate about continuing his career after spending the offseason snacking with his pregnant girlfriend. Williams is also suspended for the first month of the season. Only 23 years old and coming off a nine-touchdown rookie campaign, Williams will resurface if and only if he gets himself in shape.

One of the top No. 2 backs in the league last season, Williams’ horrific offseason has forced him to re-earn his backup spot. In addition to LeSean McCoy, Williams is behind Mike Gillislee, Jonathan Williams, Reggie Bush, James Wilder, and Boom Herron. Beat writer Joe Buscaglia does suggest the Bills are “playing it safe” with Williams “in the hope that he’ll be back at peak condition by the time Week 5 rolls around.” Williams is suspended Weeks 1-4.

This seems like a shocking development on the surface, but Williams’ actions this offseason almost gave the Bills no choice. After ballooning to as much as 261 pounds in the spring, Williams was slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy. Still, Rex Ryan said at the beginning of August Williams’ roster spot was safe, so it is possible another infraction led to this release. Mike Gillislee is now locked in as LeSean McCoy’s backup with Jonathan Williams and Reggie Bush likely to be involved as well. Considering Williams scored nine total touchdowns on just 104 rookie touches, another team will definitely take a shot on the talented 23-year-old.

Beat writer Vic Carucci says Williams re-gaining weight “demonstrat(ed) to the Bills he was not serious about football.” Adam Schefter reported Williams got as heavy as 261 pounds this offseason, after weighing 230 at the 2015 Combine. “It’s a performance-based business,” said GM Doug Whaley. “He came in behind.” Williams won’t be claimed by any NFL team until he gets in shape.

Williams, of course, blamed the gain on overeating during his wife’s pregnancy and was not allowed to practice. The Buffalo News believes Williams’ grip on the Bills’ No. 2 running back job is no longer secure, particularly after the team drafted Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams. Karlos scored nine all-purpose touchdowns as a rookie. His 2015 NFL Combine weigh-in was 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, indicating Williams reported to minicamp weighing over 250.

“We’re not going to give up on Karlos Williams,” was Ryan’s exact quote. “I can tell you that.” Williams had a nightmare offseason, reporting woefully out of shape and getting a four-game ban for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, but Ryan is focusing on the fact that Williams scored nine rookie touchdowns on only 104 touches. He’ll be a valuable change of pace behind LeSean McCoy if his head is on straight following his suspension.

It’s the second confirmed visit for Williams, though he’s reportedly had interest from five teams. His signing wouldn’t be much of an upgrade to the Steelers depth given his four-game suspension. Williams isn’t a lock to resurface before Week 1.

Williams was reportedly 20-25 pounds overweight at minicamp. It will be tough for him to shed the excess weight before camp, so he will likely spend the first several practices doing conditioning work on the sidelines. Williams still has the inside track on the No. 2 job after an explosive rookie season, but he faces tough competition from rookie Jonathan Williams and Mike Gillislee.

Williams reported to minicamp severely overweight, but it sounds like he has gotten it under control over the last month. Suspended the first four weeks for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, he will have some extra time to get into shape. After a terrible offseason, Williams has some serious work to do to earn back the No. 2 job.