Damien Williams released by K.C. Chiefs in salary cap-related move

On Tuesday, the K.C. Chiefs made it official that postseason hero Damien Williams would not be returning back to the team after opting out of the 2020 season. Instead, they decided to release him in a cost-cutting move that saves the team over $2 million against a lowered salary cap in ’21.

The writing was on the wall for Damien Williams from the moment the Chiefs decided to re-sign Darrel Williams to a new one-year deal worth up to $2.3 million on Tuesday. At that point, the Chiefs were committed to a fairly pricey deal for their second running back given the presence of running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the lead role after being drafted in the first round in 2020.

The tandem of Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams gives the team a dynamic young tandem in the backfield going forward, although the team certainly will miss the postseason heroics provided by Damien Williams in years past. The team relied heavily on the latter before last season in the playoffs with a shocking 10 touchdowns in only 5 postseason games.

Williams decided to opt out of the 2020 season when given the opportunity to spend time with his ailing mother who had received a tragic cancer diagnosis. He was among two other Chiefs, including tackle Lucas Niang and right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, to opt out of the 2020 campaign.

Now Williams, who turns 29 next month, will hope to catch on with another team with a stellar postseason resume and a full year of rest and recovery away from the rigors of the game. In six NFL seasons, Williams has 294 carries for 1,231 rushing yards and touchdowns on the ground to go with 138 catches for 1,106 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions.