Dependability Is Damien Williams' Calling Card
The Bears went from possibly the worst backup running back situation in the NFL to possibly one of the best.
Adding someone like Damien Williams will do this.
The former Chiefs and Dolphins back has been the ideal backup throughout his career, which started in 2014 with the Dolphins. Wherever Williams has been, he hasn't been a starter but has been productive when called upon to replace an injured, suspended or cut player.
He's unlikely to take a great deal of snaps from David Montgomery but can if needed, which was more than the Bears could say last year when they had to rely on kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson as the backup running back.
"I think as we look at it, David is obviously our starter and our bell cow, but Damien is going to come in and what he said from day one is that he wants to come in and compete," new Bears running backs coach Michael Pitre said. "And I think that's the mindset that all those guys have in that (running back) room. They want to come in and compete and bring their best obviously to the room and to this organization and just help us win football games."
Williams did it Kansas City when Kareem Hunt was pulled from the lineup and then cut following the release by TMZ of a film showing him being physically abusive toward a woman.
Williams ran for 256 yards on 50 carries with three starts in place of Hunt, and then got the most extensive playing time of his career in 2019 when he teamed with LeSean McCoy after Hunt had gone to Cleveland.
He's had 104- and 129-yard postseason games for Kansas City and three 100-yard regular-season games in his career.
What the Bears can expect from Williams is all-around play. He can break away, using the 4.45-second 40-yard speed he had, catch passes and pass block. In the 2019 run to the Super Bowl win he gained 196 postseason rushing yards but also had 11 receptions for an 8.6-yard average.
"With adding Damien Williams, a guy that you see what he's done in his previous years going back to Miami, and bringing an element of speed to the offense, different things like that," Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
The addition of Khalil Herbert further padded the depth and Tarik Cohen has returned.
In an ideal setting, Montgomery wouldn't lose many carries but would lose some because Cohen will take some up as a third-down back and would get a rest on occasion from Williams.
"So there's depth there, there's a lot of guys and that's a good thing so we hope it makes us better," Nagy said. "And now it's just a matter of fitting the pieces."
Damien Williams at a Glance
Career: Six seasons, 294 rushes, 1,231 yards, 12 TDs; 138 receptions, 1,106 yards, 10 TDs.
2020: Opted out.
Key Number: 20. Despite starting only 13 games in six seasons, he has never had less than 20 receptions in a season.
2021 Projection: 50 carries, 251 yards, 3 TDs; 20 receptions 142 yards, 1 TD.
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