As the 2022 free agency period draws near, the Kansas City Chiefs have a ton of decisions to make regarding the roster. They have 25 players set to hit the free-agent market (restricted and unrestricted), including fan favorites like Tyrann Mathieu, Jerick McKinnon, and others.
Over the last week, we’ve taken a look at a few free agent player profiles to better understand what’s at stake for the Chiefs when considering their options, and today we turn our attention to running back Darrel Williams.
Williams was an undrafted free agent back in 2018 out of LSU, where he made the roster the same season. As time progressed, he became a valued backup/rotational running back that could step up when needed. However that was about to change in the 2021-22 season.
Due to multiple injuries to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Williams started in seven games; additionally, Williams would go onto post 1,010 total yards from scrimmage, marking his first 1,000+ yard season of his young career (558 on the ground, 442 from the air). Williams proved to be a dual-threat back that can be highly reliable in the Chiefs’ pass-heavy offense.
As we survey the Kansas City Chiefs free agents-to-be, let’s explore the case for bringing back running back Darrel Williams for the 2022 season.
Williams has carried the ball 237 times for 912 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns in his career, averaging 3.9 yards per run. He has been targeted 105 times in the passing game with 83 catches for 762 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging 9.6 yards per reception with a 79% catch percentage. Williams’s most recent contract was a one-year, $1.6 million deal with $880k guaranteed.
With that all said, let’s examine the pros and cons of bringing him back on board, what Williams would offer in 2022, and the decision of whether or not he’ll be on the roster next season.