It appears that Damien Williams will enter the 2019 season as one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL.
NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew recently released his rankings for each team’s No. 1 option at the position. Jones-Drew, a former Jaguars running back, ranked Williams as the NFL’s No. 20 starting RB.
It’s fair to be skeptical about what Williams can do as a starter in the NFL. After all, it’s the first time he has had an opportunity to be the lead back for a team. Here’s what MJD had to say about Williams in his rankings:
Williams appeared in all 16 games, with three starts to close out the 2018 regular season, totaling 256 yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries. A contributor in the ground game and as a pass catcher, Williams really stepped up when the Chiefs appeared to be in a tough spot at the position following the release of Kareem Hunt. After proving to be an asset, Williams signed a two-year extension late in the year. I’m interested to see how Williams handles the pressure of being a starting back for an entire regular season. Luckily for him, Patrick Mahomes’ arm attracts most of the attention from opposing defenses.
It sounds like Williams is ranked so low for MJD simply because he hasn’t been a starter for an entire regular season. Is that really the best way to look at Williams during the 2019 season? He has the luxury of playing with an underrated offensive line, a top notch receiving corps, the best tight end in the NFL, the reigning MVP at quarterback, Andy Reid at coach and the most explosive offense in the NFL. A full season under his belt should yield much better than a No. 20 ranking if all of those things hold true during the 2019 season.
If you look at the expected stats of Williams over the course of a full 2018 season and compare them to the expected stats of former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt, you’ll find two very similar players. It’s almost as if the running back doesn’t matter as much as the system he’s playing in. It makes sense that a former NFL back might overlook that notion.
It’s probably better that the national media sleep on Williams, though. It should make for a nice chip on his shoulder heading into the season. He’s already achieved so much in his career, like working his way up from an undrafted free agent to being an NFL starter. That could perhaps influence his success moving forward.
