Should the Eagles Look at Karlos Williams?
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, the running back position was a large question mark, due to the departure of LeSean McCoy last spring.Quite simply, our run game was an absolute mess. Splitting time between DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles, none of the three were able to put a stranglehold on the job, and it just became one large cluster of mediocrity. Earlier this spring, the Eagles were able to rid themselves of Murray. However, they found themselves with a much larger problem, as their running back problems grew exponentially with their inability to adequately replace the hole left by Murray. Yes, despite his lackluster performance last season, DeMarco Murray did leave a hole.
This season, the Eagles have placed all of their faith into the foursome of Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner, and Wendell Smallwood, to handle the duties at running back. There are some serious question marks in regards to all four of these backs. For starters, Mathews comes with a serious buyer-beware tag. In his six-year career, Mathews has only once played in all 16 games. Darren Sproles has never handled the workload of a starting running back, only surpassing 350 rushing yard one time in his career. Kenjon Barner never been able to latch on with a team in a substantial role out of the backfield, and has spent the majority of his career as a return specialist. That brings me to Wendell Smallwood. Smallwood was beginning to leave an impression on coaches, that could've earned him an expanded role in the run game this year. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that has kept him out of action for a couple of weeks, effectively putting him behind the proverbial "eight-ball."
With that said, there are still ways that the Eagles can still fill that hole left by the departure of both LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray. This past weekend, quite an interesting name hit the open market. The man in question is former Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams. Williams served as the backup for LeSean McCoy last season, but made quite the impact when he was given the opportunity. Last season, Williams tallied 517 yards on 93 carries with seven touchdowns. That's right, a backup running back ranked eighth in touchdowns last season. Quite an impressive feat, I would say. Especially when you consider the fact that Williams was recognized as a defensive back, up until his senior year at Florida State. In his senior season, Williams compiled a total of 954 yards from scrimmage with 12 total touchdowns. Surely, there are some of you asking why a player that produced such quality numbers was released, am I right? Well, Williams reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape, and later received a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy. Pretty easy to understand now, huh?
Nonetheless, the former fifth-round pick could serve a purpose with the Eagles. For years, the team has lacked a major presence in the red zone, a weakness that has come back to burn us on many different occasions. Williams usually hovers between 230 pounds and 245 pounds, something that could be of a major benefit for the Birds. With all of their running backs weighing under 230 pounds, it appears that the red zone will once again be the team's Achilles heel, especially without the presence of a fullback. Karlos Williams shouldered 30 percent of the workload inside the five-yard line last season for Buffalo, scoring three of his seven touchdowns in that range. All told, four of Williams' seven touchdown runs came in the red-zone last season. Compare that to the totals from our running backs, and Williams would've been our second-best back in the red zone, behind Murray and Mathews, who had five touchdowns a piece.
Beyond his ability to be a rock in the red zone, Williams has the ability to break it loose when needed. Last season, his longest run was 41 yards, while his longest college run was 65 yards. In high-school, Williams doubled-up as both a football star and track star, running the 100-meter dash in his senior year at 10.5 seconds. He also won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.49 seconds. On paper, Williams has all the tools to succeed as a starting running back in the NFL. He just hasn't received that opportunity, yet. Philadelphia could provide just the opportunity that he needs. Contrary to public opinion, the running back job is not "locked-up." It's more that Ryan Mathews has the inside track to the job. Obviously Williams would be a long-shot to take over as the starter this season, given that his four-game suspension will harm his ability to learn Doug Pederson's system, a system that is essentially built for the success of power runners. However, the lack of quality backups behind Mathews, could leave the door open just enough for Williams to quickly burst his way onto the scene.
Williams recently cleared waivers, and is currently a free agent. The 23-year-old has already garnered interested from as many as five teams, including the New York Jets. It's currently unclear if the Eagles are involved, but it may be wise for them to inquire. Williams could be the exactly the type of low-risk/high-reward that Howie Roseman is looking for as the dreaded "cut day" draws closer.
