An early-season injury wrapped Damien Williams‘ Falcons tenure after one game, but the former Super Bowl-winning running back remains on the NFL radar. The Cardinals brought in the veteran for a recent workout, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Arriving in the NFL as a UDFA back in 2014, Williams catching on with another team would make him the rare 30-something runner — amid a tough offseason for the position — still going in 2023. Williams turned 31 this offseason and has not worked as a regular starter since before his 2020 COVID-19 opt-out.
The Falcons released the eight-year veteran from IR, via injury settlement, rather than factor him into decisions regarding the eight-activation limit. Tyler Allgeier had seized control of Atlanta’s backfield by that point. Williams, who suffered a rib injury last year, did not catch on anywhere else and ended up taking just two handoffs in 2022.
Also having spent time with the Bears, Chiefs and Dolphins, the Oklahoma alum is best known for his stint in Kansas City. Moving into a starting role not long after the Chiefs waived Kareem Hunt midway through the 2018 season, Williams totaled 10 touchdowns during the ’18 and ’19 postseasons combined. This included a two-score Super Bowl LIV performance that had some calling for MVP consideration. The 5-foot-11 back averaged 5.1 yards per tote in 2018 and 4.5 in 2019. But the Chiefs, who had drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 2020 first round, ended up cutting Williams shortly after the 2020 season ended.
The Bears gave Williams 40 carries in 2021, when he worked as a David Montgomery backup. Although Williams has only totaled 58 touches during the 2020s, that could work in his favor as he attempts to play another season. For his career, Williams still has only 490 regular-season touches.
Most running backs tied to upper-market contracts were connected to pay cuts or releases this offseason. The Buccaneers ditched Leonard Fournette‘s $7M-AAV deal a year after authorizing it. The Cardinals, however, did not touch James Conner‘s $7M-per-year pact. Conner leads Arizona’s backfield, which is lacking for a proven backup. Corey Clement, Ty’Son Williams and 2022 sixth-rounder Keaontay Ingram are in place behind Conner.
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