Tag: Duke Williams

Duke Williams says he was ‘surprised’ that Bills waived him

A former #Bills fan favorite was surprised he was let go by the team this summer:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=none image=https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

One former fan favorite with the Bills said he was surprised that he was let go by the team this past August.

In October, former Bills wide receiver Duke Williams signed back in the CFL. Prior to joining Buffalo, he played there with the Edmonton Elks.

Now he’s a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In August, Williams was waived by the Bills via injury settlement. At the time, it was an undisclosed injury, but now we know it was a hamstring issue.

But despite the injury, Williams said when Buffalo moved on from him he didn’t see it coming at all. The wideout told 3 Down Nation that this past week.

“I was surprised, but I learned that you can’t stress over what you can’t control,” Williams said. “[Bills QB] Josh (Allen) gave me high praises, he knew what I could do. The coaching staff knew what I could do, but it’s a business decision.”

“It had to be a business decision, it wasn’t a no talent situation, it was just a business decision,” Williams added.

Out of camp, the Bills did keep a heavy amount of wide receivers.

In total, seven wide receivers were on the final roster, including rookie Marquez Stevenson who went onto injured reserve. 

But even though Williams was surprised, he did have positive things to say about the Bills. Williams said he was “thankful” for the club and called it “a great organization.”

Perhaps in the future Williams will get another chance in the NFL.

The 28-year-old should have several more years left in his football career regardless, even if it’s just in the CFL. Prior to joining the Bills he dominated there.

[lawrence-related id=90515,90509,90517]

Former Bills WR Duke Williams signs back with CFL this week

Former #Bills WR Duke Williams signs back with CFL this week:

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw1j59gmjw5gdj player_id=none image=https://billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and fan favorite Duke Williams was released this summer. Only until now did he decide on his upcoming future.

According to reports including TSN, the wideout is going back tot he CFL. He signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders this week.

In 2018, he had 88 catches for a league-high 1,579 yards and a league-high 11 touchdowns in 18 games in the CFL. That year with the Edmonton Elks, he was named an All-Star.

Previously Williams had short stints in the NFL, but that All-Star year convinced Buffalo to give him a shot.

With the Bills, Williams had some good offseason showings, but only played in five regular season games in Buffalo. He had 12 catches for 166 yards, all came during the 2019 season.

The hype train really got going after his game-winning touchdown that same year against the Tennessee Titans.

He spent most of last season on the team’s practice squad and was on the active roster for just one game.

[lawrence-related id=89082,89041,89023]

Bills waive Duke Williams, place Forrest Lamp on IR in slew of roster moves

#Bills waive Duke Williams, place Forrest Lamp on IR in slew of roster moves:

The Buffalo Bills took two players out of contention for places on team’s final 53-man roster thanks to injury designations. That pair is offensive lineman Forrest Lamp and wide receiver Duke Williams.

The team announced on Monday that Lamp was placed on injured reserve. He has barely practiced during training camp thanks to a calf injury.

Williams evidently suffered an undisclosed injury recently as he was waived via injury settlement.

In corresponding moves, the Bills signed running back Kerrith Whyte and cornerback Tim Harris to take their places on the roster.

Wythe was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2019 and also spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a rookie. Last season he was on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.

A sixth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, Harris was released by the Niners earlier this month via an injury settlement. He suffered a groin injury this summer.

By Tuesday, the Bills have to trim their roster by five players ahead of the NFL’s coming deadline for roster cuts. Whyte and Harris will likely not be apart of those, but they do have an uphill battle to find a place on the team’s final roster with how late they are joining the roster.

However, the practice squad could be a possibility.

[lawrence-related id=85502,85613,85659]

Buffalo Bills sign 13 players to reserve/future contracts

The Bills signed 13 players to reserve/futures contracts. Those roster transactions were announced by the team on Tuesday. The full list includes: WR Duke Williams RB Antonio Williams QB Davis Webb RB Christian Wade S Josh Thomas DE Mike Love WR …

The Bills signed 13 players to reserve/futures contracts. Those roster transactions were announced by the team on Tuesday.

The full list includes:

  • WR Duke Williams
  • RB Antonio Williams
  • QB Davis Webb
  • RB Christian Wade 
  • S Josh Thomas
  • DE Mike Love
  • WR Jake Kumerow
  • CB Dane Jackson
  • WR Tanner Gentry
  • DT Brandin Bryant
  • TE Nate Becker
  • OL Trey Adams
  • DE Bryan Cox Jr.

Of these 13, eight appeared on an active game day roster for the Bills in 2020. Those include Bryant, Cox, Jackson, Kumerow, Love, Thomas and both Williams. Jackson and Kumerow made the largest impacts of the bunch.

A reserve/future contract guarantees that a player cannot be signed by another team. It goes into effect once the new league year begins and will count towards the next season’s salary cap and 90-man roster for the offseason and training camp.

[lawrence-related id=77658,77648,77646,77632]

How every former Tiger performed in NFL divisional round

Carlton Davis had his best game of the season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by shutting down the Saints’ Michael Thomas.

NFL fans got to see what Auburn fans have known for quite some time: Carlton Davis can be a No. 1 corner and plays his best football against star receivers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced off with New Orleans Saints in the divisional round of the playoffs, and Davis had one of the best games of his season in their 30-20 win.

The victory means they will move on to the championship weekend with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line. Davis isn’t the only former Tiger who is still alive. He and Jamel Dean will match up against the Green Bay Packers who have Montravious Adams on their practice squad. Duke Williams is also on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills, who made the AFC championship game.

Here’s how every former Tiger performed in the divisional round.

Bills elevate Duke Williams, Jordan Devey for Colts game, no Kenny Stills

Buffalo Bills call up WR Duke Williams, OL Jordan Devey for Indianapolis Colts Wild Card Meeting. WR Kenny Stills not called up.

Wide receiver Kenny Stills will not be making his Buffalo Bills debut against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills (13-3) announced two players were elevated from their practice squad on Friday ahead of this weekend’s Wild Card matchup.

Neither one was Stills.

Instead, wide receiver Duke Williams and offensive lineman Jordan Devey were called up.

Both Devey and Williams have appeared in one game during the regular season for Buffalo and did so together. That game was Week 7 against the New York Jets. The Bills won that game, 18-10.

Stills was signed on Monday and some speculated he could be used by the Bills on Saturday. That now won’t happen.

In terms of Devey and Williams’ selections, the only injury concerns come via the wideout. Buffalo’s wide receiver room has seen two players listed as questionable heading into this game and both are receivers, Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. Most expect Beasley not to play but Diggs’ status is still up in the air.

Worth noting is that Devey and Williams being elevated does not mean they’re playing. Buffalo could still make both inactive on game day despite calling the pair up.

[lawrence-related id=76232,76234,76113,76229]

Duke Williams, Dane Jackson among 4 called up from Bills practice squad

Buffalo Bills called up Duke Williams from team’s practice squad ahead of Jets meeting.

The Buffalo Bills have called four players up from their practice squad on Saturday ahead of their Week 7 contest against the New York Jets.

Those four players are: wide receiver Duke Williams, offensive lineman Jordan Devey, linebacker Andre Smith and cornerback Dane Jackson. All four were called up officially at the same time the team announced four players, all tight ends including Dawson Knox, had been placed on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Of the four, Smith is the only player to have already been previously called up this season.

Jackson’s call up is likely the most telling in terms of injuries. With both Tre’Davious White and Cam Lewis listed as questionable with back and wrist injuries, respectively, the Bills could be using the seventh-round rookie plenty against the Jets. Josh Norman (hamstring) was already ruled out for Sunday’s game as well.

Williams, the former fan favorite, is likely called up due to injury via receiver John Brown who was also ruled out. Williams could also be an extra playmaking target consider several of Buffalo’s tight ends are now on the team’s Reserve/ COVID-19 list. The wideout played in four games for the Bills last season and had 12 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown.

[lawrence-related id=71992,71985,71983,71963]

5 toughest decisions Bills have to make before roster cut down

Here are the toughest decisions the Buffalo Bills and Brandon Beane have to make prior to Saturday’s cut-down deadline in the NFL.

Tick, tick, tick, tick…

That’s what the clock on the wall next to Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane is sounding like right now at One Bills Drive.

Granted, we know cutting down a NFL roster does not change the sound of a wall clock in any way, shape, or form, we assume it’s just going to sound a little louder for those two in the coming hours. The Bills have until 4 p.m. on Saturday to get their roster to 53 players from their near 80 currently.

A lot of hard choices are staring the team right in the face. Which of those are perhaps the toughest to make? Here are five of the toughest decisions the Bills are going to make soon:

Bills quarterback Jake Fromm. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News vas AP, Pool)

What to do with Jake Fromm?

What a scenario rookie quarterback Jake Fromm has put the Bills in…

Buffalo surprisingly used a fifth-round pick on Fromm at the recent draft. Beneath the surface, not a bad idea. Josh Allen has more than double the amount of starts as Matt Barkley in his young career already, so Barkley isn’t exactly your “veteran” backup as much as we’re led to believe Having said that, adding a younger backup with some potential upside (we know what Barkley is)… not the worst idea by the Bills.

But then came Fromm’s racially-charged text messages which put the team in a terrible position earlier this offseason. In a statement, the Bills said they’d “work with him.” Well, they did, and so far in training camp, Fromm hasn’t provided the assurances that he’d be a player to keep on their final roster. Multiple outlets, including The Athletic, think Fromm’s going to be cut his play has been so disappointing.

But will the Bills do such a thing? They’ve backed a struggling fifth-round rookie in Nathan Peterman in the past, already stood up for Fromm, and there’s COVID-19 to consider. Keeping as many quarterbacks as possible is smart, and there’s a much higher chance Fromm is scooped up off waivers as opposed to a guy like Davis Webb, who could sneak onto the practice squad. A very tough choice.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Final Bills 53-man roster projection for 2020

Final 2020 Buffalo Bills roster projection heading into regular season cut-down day.

The Buffalo Bills are a mere hours away from trimming down their roster to 53 players. On Saturday, NFL teams, including the Bills, must have their team down to that number by 4 p.m. Teams entered this year’s training camp with 80 players as opposed to the traditional 90 due to COVID-19.

There were several storylines to come out of this year’s training camp. While some were the types we’re used to, others were new, such as the grapple the team had on reports coming out of training camp. While eyeballs on camp were held back from reporting things over the past few weeks, we haven’t heard much. But media outlets are no longer watching practice, and since they’re not, we’ve started to really see the dust settle a bit on where the team’s final roster could sit.

Using some of the additional info we’re now privy to, let’s put together a final guess at the squad. Here’s our last 53-man roster projection for the Bills as they head toward cut-down day on Saturday:

Bills quarterbacks Josh Allen (17) and Matt Barkley (Gannett photo).

QUARTERBACK (3)

Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Jake Fromm

Cuts: Davis Webb

At this point of the offseason, we’ve seen two factions of reports out of Bills training camp. The first is Davis Webb out-playing rookie Jake Fromm. That could be true, but the Bills also made an investment in Fromm via a fifth-round pick. Albeit it’s a Day 3 pick, but we’ve already seen the lengths Sean McDermott will go to support a problematic Round 5 QB. Nathan Peterman was one, folks.

Because of that past, and the front office’s prior protections of from via his racially-charged text messages which surfaced this offseason… c’mon, the Bills are almost right to the finish line with Fromm so it’s hard to envision them letting him go. He’s not going to stick around on their practice squad, someone will claim him if he’s let go, so we’ll predict stays and Webb goes to the practice squad… perhaps even in a twisted way. Maybe just to protect Fromm, they keep him on the 53 and put Webb on the practice squad. Teams are much less likely to go after Webb. But if Allen gets hurt, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Webb called up from the practice squad to be QB2 behind Barkley.

And in the past the Bills have kept two quarterbacks, but with COVID-19, it’d be very silly to not do everything you can to keep all four guys around.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11

A look at the Bills WR position prior to roster cuts

Pro Football Focus has the Bills receiving corps ranked as the fifth best in the NFL, which is a pretty big jump from where the unit was even just a season ago. The Bills are just days away from breaking down their roster to 53 players. Cut-down day …

Pro Football Focus has the Bills receiving corps ranked as the fifth best in the NFL, which is a pretty big jump from where the unit was even just a season ago. The Bills are just days away from breaking down their roster to 53 players. Cut-down day in the league is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has some tough decisions ahead of him.

With a position group built through free agency, trades and the draft, here’s a breakdown of the position, player-by-player:

Duke Williams

Duke Williams caught the Bills attention thanks to a strong showing in the Canadian Football league. He demonstrated big-play potential during the 2019 preseason after signing with Buffalo and is a big target at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, who may work his way into a role on offense.

Entering his second year with the team, the 27-year-old Auburn product had the two biggest catches during camp so far, muscling one in coverage on a pass from quarterback Matt Barkley and making an even more impressive one-handed haul in amidst multiple defenders on a throw from rookie QB Jake Fromm. The biggest problem with Williams is his lack of production on special teams, something several other depth options have.

Isaiah Hodgins

Growing up around the Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald seems to have made an impression on Hodgins. The 6-foot-4 rookie out of Oregon State dubbed the Bills’ ‘biggest draft steal’ by Draft Wire had 86 catches for 1,171 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Beavers. Like Diggs, he’s known for his route running and was described by The Draft Network as having “the most natural hands in the class.” It will be interesting to see if he can make his way into the receiver group in his first year as a Bill, but could another team claim him of Buffalo’s practice squad if he ends up there?

Pages: Page 1, Page 2