The Buffalo Bills rookie running back Jonathan Williams is facing an uphill battle to make the roster.
It was a bit of a surprised when the Buffalo Bills decided to draft Jonathan Williams in the 5th round of the 2016 draft. The running back position is one of the deeper parts of this roster with LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee in the mix.
McCoy is the lead back and figures to get a majority of the carries. This has as much to do with his game-breaking ability as it does with the amount of money he’s being paid. Buffalo made the decision to trade for McCoy and give him a big-money deal and now must live with the aftermath.
Williams faced tough situation prior to his DWI arrest and now his roster spot might be in trouble. He and Karlos Williams are both physical runners who work well between the tackles.
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Jonathan would’ve had to beat out Karlos in order to see meaningful action.
Prior to his arrest, Jonathan had some momentum with Karlos reportedly showing up to OTAs out of shape.
The way things are shaping out it makes sense to question why the Bills would use a 5th round pick on a running back. Especially, in a running back like Jonathan Williams who is coming off a serious injury. This roster has plenty of other needs that they could’ve gone in another direction.
Buffalo lacks depth along the offensive and defensive lines. A 5th round pick has the potential to provide depth and possibly step into a meaningful role. We’ve seen plenty of late-round selections make an early impact in the league.
Despite only being in his second season in Buffalo, it feels as though Rex Ryan and company might already be on the hot seat.