Damien Williams hopes to change conversation in return from injury
By Matt Conner
After missing several days of training camp, Damien Williams returns to Chiefs practice hoping to change the conversation once again.
For the first time in several days, Kansas City Chiefs running back Damien Williams will be taking reps at training camp. The Chiefs starter had missed considerable time due to a hamstring strain.
On the surface, this is good news. The Chiefs are back to full strength in the backfield and the offense can begin to come together with real competition between Carlos Hyde, who has reportedly looked good in his absence, along with Williams and other roster hopefuls—a list that includes Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, Marcus Marshall, and Josh Caldwell.
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If you go by remarks made by both head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy heading into training camp, the assumption would be that Williams would be able to slip right back into his spot atop the depth chart. After all, both leaders stated that Williams had earned the starter’s mantle after last season’s impressive stretch run to end the season.
These days, it might not be true. Reid didn’t seem too pleased that Williams’ hamstring injury kept him away for a solid week or more.
"“He’s missed quite a bit,” Reid said. “He’s missed a lot of plays. It’s been great for these other guys. (Carlos Hyde) has done a nice job. He’s got a lot of reps and he’s taking advantage of them.”"
Maybe Reid intended those words to be straightforward. Williams did miss quite a bit. He missed a lot of plays. It was great for other guys. Nothing more was said and maybe nothing more was intended. But the message seems a bit clearer than that: Reid hates to see Williams missing so much and other guys are looking good in his absence. In the NFL, nothing is handed to you and there’s definitely no “saving seats,” so to speak.
Damien Williams is back but Carlos Hyde is taking the starter snaps at RB as Chiefs begin team drills
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) August 7, 2019
10 plays of a team drill and Damien Williams didn't play. So looks like no team work for him today
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) August 7, 2019
Even now, it’s likely going to take time for Williams to either be healthy enough to give it a full go in practice, or perhaps this is part of re-climbing the ladder. No one has stated that Hyde is now the starter or even officially competing for those reps. The job belongs to Williams until Reid says it doesn’t.
However, the whole idea of a starter being named in July is silly. In fact, it was surprising that Reid and EB even named Williams the starter in the first place. It certainly doesn’t help the team by declaring something like that in advance and competition should be encouraged—even if Williams filled in admirably in a late season run.
This is a new season with new expectations and new faces vying for a chance to be the lead back in the NFL’s best offense. Some players are going to wilt under the pressure while others will rise to the top. Damien Williams had a later start than others, but he has the trust of the coaches and now hopes to prove them right.
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It’s his goal to change the conversation to the one we were having before training camp started.