Darrel Williams is prime candidate to re-sign with Kansas City Chiefs

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Darrel Williams (31) carries the ball as Cincinnati Bengals safety Vonn Bell (24). /

The case to bring him back

First, Williams is a lethal threat in the receiving game, something he clearly showed this season. Amongst NFL RBs in 2021, Williams ranked 13th in targets and 11th in catches; however, he ranked 5th in receiving yards and 10th in receiving yards per game. Remember, he only started in 7 games and played in 48% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps. And he posted a 101 receiving yard game against the Raiders in Week 10, where he caught all nine of his targets while mossing a defensive back on a touchdown reception. He’s a talented receiving back.

Second, Williams is still young as a running back and is in his prime. Once the 2022-23 regular-season starts, he’ll be 27. This is where usually running backs hit their prime and have some of their best productive seasons. With Williams trending up exponentially this past season, there aren’t many indicators pointing to him trending down aside from not getting as many starts as this season.

Third, Williams has been good as a short-yardage back and a goal-line power-type back. Most of his rushing touchdowns came from the goal line (he had two one-yard touchdowns in Week 17), and he was able to generate 40 first downs on the ground, most stemming from short yardage. He won’t hit you with a home run; however, he can move the chains.

Finally, he would be reasonably cheap to bring on board the production he brings to the table. According to Spotrac, Williams would garner a $2.2 million annual salary. He has earned this pay raise, and I can see the Chiefs giving him a little more than the market value to keep him on board for a few more seasons.

The case to let him walk

While Williams is good in short-yardage situations, overall, he hasn’t been the best at running the rock. Williams averages 3.9 yards per run, which is tied for 45th in the NFL among NFL running backs; furthermore, he had 558 rushing yards, ranking 40th overall. Receiving is his claim to fame, and it’s understandable; he’s excellent in that regard. However, players like Helaire and McKinnon do it better in the rushing attack.

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