The New Orleans Saints shuffled their running backs room on Thursday, waiving reserve Matt Dayes with an injury designation and adding Kerwynn Williams, a free agent. The swap was first reported by Field Yates of ESPN and confirmed by Herbie Teope of the Advocate.
Dayes was working behind Alvin Kamara as one of several hopefuls to back up the superstar, looking to make an impact on passing downs. The Saints recently signed veteran Jacquizz Rodgers (a familiar foe, given his history with the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) which pushed Dayes into kick return duties. Now, he has a chance to land on injured reserve.
Williams sat out the 2018 season after spending his first four years in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. He had his best season in 2017, appearing in all 16 games and recording 120 rushing attempts, which turned into 426 yards (a 3.6 yards per carry average) and a single touchdown run. He also caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown his way, gaining 93 yards.
He’s also a candidate to get some action on punt and kickoff returns. Williams fielded 21 punts in 2017, picking up 137 yards (6.5 yards per return) and was respectable on kickoffs with 16 returns for 326 yards (20.4 yards per kickoff return). The Saints have an open competition for both jobs.
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