Preston

Williams

Williams will work out with the Bills on Thursday, as they become the second team to host the veteran receiver in the last week. Williams’ career has been marred with injuries. He suffered a torn ACL in his 2019 rookie season and was sidelined for eight games by a foot injury in 2020. The last two seasons have been all but lost for Williams, who appeared in just nine games over that span, catching six passes for 71 yards. In addition to Williams, the Bills are also working out veteran receiver Marcell Ateman, who last caught an NFL pass in 2019.

Williams spent 2022 with the Panthers after getting waived from Miami at final cuts. The 26-year-old’s career has been wiped by injuries, with Williams tearing his ACL for a second time in 2020. Williams (6'5", 215-pounds) would give the Texans a veteran red zone target if signed.

The Dolphins waived Williams in late August after two seasons of immense struggles following a 2019 ACL injury. With 56 receptions entering his fourth NFL season, Williams, 25, probably won’t see the field this season unless Carolina has a rash of wideout injuries.

“Multiple teams” supposedly reached out about a trade, but the fact that Williams is being cut means no one was even willing to offer a conditional day three pick. It’s a sad but not surprising end for Williams in Miami, where he got off to a hot start as an undrafted rookie in 2019 before a 2020 torn ACL totally changed the trajectory of his career. The ‘Fins have since filled out their receiver corps with superstars and valuable role players. Now 25 years old with only 56 career catches, Williams is unlikely to reverse his sliding fortunes, though his 6-foot-5 frame will undoubtedly earn him a second chance.

Miami traded for Tyreek Hill and signed Cedrick Wilson a year after drafting Jaylen Waddle in the first round. At this point, they don’t need much more than a few depth options to round out their roster. If they can get something for the receivers deep in their rotation, it makes sense for them to field calls. Williams flashed as a rookie, totaling 428 yards in eight games. He has never played more than eight games in a season and his role has been scaled back in every subsequent season. A hamstring issue forced Bowden to miss the entire 2021 season. Neither player will garner strong interest in trade talks.

“Just want opportunity. #smh,” Williams tweeted. Re-signed to a one-year deal as a restricted free agent in the offseason, Williams is now buried on the Dolphins’ wideout depth chart after Miami traded for Tyreek Hill and signed Cedrick Wilson to team with Jaylen Waddle in three-wide sets. The Dolphins also used a fourth-round pick on Erik Ezukanma and signed depth guys like Trent Sherfield and Mohamed Sanu. Williams is a prime candidate to be traded by the new Miami regime.

Williams was on the precipice of a rookie breakout in 2019 but a torn ACL cut his season short. He then suffered a foot injury that ended his 2020 season. A groin injury kept Williams off the field for a few games last year, but some of his nine absences were healthy scratches. The injuries appear to have sapped him of his athleticism, making him nothing more than a backup wide receiver. With Cedrick Wilson joining the team on a multi-year deal this offseason, Williams will be fighting for WR4 duties this summer.

Jackson is as plugged into the Dolphins as any reporter is to any team. This year’s “low” RFA tender checks in at $2.43 million, something the Dolphins assuredly will not pay after Williams fell behind Mack Hollins on the depth chart and was frequently healthy scratched down the stretch in 2021. Jackson does believe the Dolphins could be open to bringing Williams back at a lower price, however. Williams had the looks of a multi-year contributor in the Dolphins’ receiver corps before suffering a serious foot injury celebrating a touchdown in Nov. 2020. This was after his rookie year in 2019 ended with a torn ACL. Two major lower-body injuries do not bode well for a 6-foot-5 wideout’s movement skills going forward. Williams is probably closer to washing out of the league than becoming a 2022 contributor.

So much for that. Active for the first time since Week 7, Williams was easily out-produced by also-rans Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford. He could have had a grab in the first half, but fell down, leading to a Jacoby Brissett throwaway under pressure. Injuries seem to have wrecked 24-year-old Williams’ once-promising upside.

Williams has been a healthy scratch the last two weeks despite DeVante Parker sitting in the second of those games. Seemingly buried on the depth chart, Williams will likely play behind Mack Hollins even if he is active. Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki will remain the top two options in the passing game.