Jamaal Williams is the first Lions free agent signing of a player who wasn’t released by his old team. Detroit and Williams agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth up to $7.5 million late Tuesday, and the deal will be finalized on Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the new NFL league year begins.
What are the Lions getting in Williams?
The former Packers RB offers Detroit some size in the backfield. At 6-0 and 213 listed pounds, Williams is a bigger back but he has good balance through contact as well as a powerful lower body. He’s been a quality No. 2 running back throughout his career in Green Bay.
Williams, who turns 26 in April, has rushed for 1,985 yards on exactly 500 carries in four seasons in Green Bay. He’s never gone below 460 yards in a season, proving his consistent production despite varying degrees of Packers offensive line talent.
One thing that stood out for Williams in Green Bay was his soft hands. Williams catches the ball naturally out of the backfield and has enough route-running ability to challenge LBs in coverage. He’s caught 122 passes on 155 targets in four seasons, a ridiculous 78% catch rate with just three drops.
Ball security is not an issue. Williams has not fumbled once in his four seasons, 622 total touches. He also went through his BYU career without losing a fumble.
He can produce when given the chance as a starter. Williams got two starts in place of Aaron Jones in Green Bay last season and topped 100 yards on the grounding both. He’s not a speed back but is difficult to tackle with his balance and a wicked stiff arm that he deploys with violent regularity.
Williams has also proven durable. He missed two games in 2020 but that was due to being on the reserve/COVID-19 list, not an injury. Prior to that he had played in all but two games over his career.
He makes sense for the Lions as a reserve RB to pair with D’Andre Swift. Williams is used to the role, but has also proven he can step up as a spot starter if needed.
