Lions' running back signing likely means Jamaal Williams will have a new home in 2023

With D'Andre Swift expected to return for the final year on his rookie contract, it makes little sense from both a financial and tactical lens to re-sign Williams.

The team that signs Williams will get a strong downhill runner who wastes no time attacking the line of scrimmage. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he was timed as spending an average of 2.64 seconds behind the line of scrimmage per rush attempt. Only Chuba Hubbard (2.53 seconds), A.J. Dillon (2.6 seconds) and Samaje Perine (2.61 seconds) got to the line of scrimmage faster.

Data from NFL NGS also reveals Williams faced eight or more defenders in the box on 30.15% of his rush attempts, the ninth-highest mark in 2022. Among the 10 running backs who faced eight or more defenders in the box the most, Williams was one of four (Tyler Allgeier, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey) to rush for at least 1,000 yards.

He'll never be the flashiest running back on the field, but Williams is perhaps the most reliable running back option on the market.
Per Football Outsiders, he's mediocre in the site's Defense-adjusted Value over Average (DVOA) metric but that only tells part of the story. Williams was actually 2.1 percent worse than an average running back per DVOA but ranked 11th in success rate at 54 percent.

Per FO, success rate "represents the player's consistency, measured by successful running plays ... based on down and distance." A one-yard run from the 1-yard line, for example, would be considered a success while a rush for the same distance from the 2-yard line would be a failure.

The site explains the discrepancy between the two by noting, "A player with a lower DVOA and a high success rate generally gets the yards needed but doesn't often get more."

Wherever he goes, Williams is primed to get the job done. What his new contract looks like will determine whether the Lions made the right call by electing to instead sign Montgomery.

At least Williams left Detroit on a high note with an all-timer of a postgame interview after the Lions' 20-16 win at Green Bay in Week 18.

After getting emotional discussing his late-great grandfather, Williams fought back tears to demand everyone put some respect on what now looks like his former team. "We the Detroit Lions, stop playing with us," Williams said emphatically.

"Don't let these tears fool you. It's all dog around this mug. I'm good," Williams finished.

He'll probably be wearing another jersey next season but after helping put Detroit back on the football map, something tells us he'll be welcomed back to the Motor City any time.