Duke Williams may have played his way off the inactive list
Duke Williams has been a major curiosity for Bills fans ever since the team signed him a year ago. Williams has the big frame fans crave to compliment the speed Buffalo has at the position. He also had major production at the CFL level.
Williams was a player to watch in training camp and the preseason, and he delivered, impressing in August. However, it was not enough to earn a spot on the Bills’ 53-man roster. Williams did get added to the Buffalo practice squad and continued to impress the coaching staff.
When the Bills decided to trade away Zay Jones in late September, Williams was the beneficiary, getting added to the Bills’ active roster for their game at Tennessee in Week 5. Williams made the most of his big opportunity, grabbing the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as part of a four catch, 29-yard effort in his first NFL game.
Williams remained on the active roster the following week and grabbed a 23-yard reception from Josh Allen in the third quarter of the Bills’ 31-21 win over Miami. He then had a six-yard reception the following week against the Eagles. After that, Williams was phased out of the Bills’ active gameday lineup.
With the Bills resting starters in Week 17 against the Jets, Williams was again given the opportunity to make a name for himself in live game action. Williams got the start against the Jets and delivered in a big way, catching six passes for 108 yards against the Jets’ first-team defense.
Williams was clearly the most trusted wide receiver on the field for the Bills on Sunday as he led the team with 12 targets from Allen and Matt Barkley. He did most of his damage in the second half, catching five passes for 103 yards in the third and fourth quarters. His big play was a 41-yard reception from Barkley on 3rd and 10 from the Buffalo 22 with 1:49 to play. That set up Stephen Hauschka’s second field goal of the game to make it a seven-point game with 47 seconds to play.
The Bills have received exactly what they hoped they would get from John Brown and Cole Beasley as their top two receivers in 2019. But they have been looking for a third receiver to compliment the two. The Bills have used the speed of Isaiah McKenzie and have tried to get Robert Foster involved as a deep threat, but have not seen big results from either. Foster has really struggled, catching just three of 18 targets on the season.
Perhaps Williams has now proven that he can be that complimentary element the Bills are looking for. The Bills could use an extra dimension to their passing offense in time for the wild card playoffs. Williams gives the Bills the size they are lacking at the position (6-3, 225 pounds), but also demonstrated some elusiveness and run-after-the-catch ability on Sunday. The Bills have been dying for some help in those areas as well.
If the Bills do decide the give Williams a shot on Saturday, he will still be fourth, maybe even fifth, on the pecking order for targets from Allen after Brown, Beasley, Dawson Knox, and perhaps Devin Singletary. Still, the Bills could use all the help they can get for their passing game and Williams now has demonstrated he can produce against a top defense.
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