Las Vegas is slated to release Williams on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Williams' release comes shortly after Josh Jacob officially returned to team facilities and signed for the 2023 season. The 31-year-old will now need to search for a depth role elsewhere. Williams' versatility should help his odds of latching on at the end of a different roster, but he hasn't suited up for significant NFL action since 2021, as he played just one game with the Falcons last season.
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Raiders' Damien Williams: Signs with Vegas
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Williams signed with the Raiders on Friday, per his agent Ian Greengross.
Williams joins a Vegas backfield that lacks an established pecking order behind Josh Jacobs, who is away from the team after failing to agree to a long-term contract. While Jacobs is more likely than not to eventually play for the Raiders in 2023, his absence will create an opportunity for Williams to distinguish himself in the preseason while competing against the likes of Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden.
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Damien Williams: Gets opportunity
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Williams received a tryout with the Raiders on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
Williams was last with the Falcons but was waived from injured reserve with a rib injury. Now healthy, the 31-year-old is working to find a new opportunity. His last significant role came with the Bears in 2021, when he appeared in 12 games and rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries. He also tallied 16 receptions on 23 targets for 103 yards and a third touchdown.
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Damien Williams: Waived from IR
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The Falcons waived Williams (ribs) from injured reserve Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Williams rushed twice for two yards across 10 snaps during the season opener before suffering a rib injury. He was placed on injured reseve the following Saturday after not practicing at all during Week 2 prep. He's been on the reserve list since then, but Schefter relayed that the veteran running back is 100 percent healthy and looking to make an impact for a new team. Coming into the campaign, Williams had recorded 1,394 yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns over his past three seasons (two with Kansas City and one with Chicago), by far the best stretch of his eight-year career.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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Williams could emerge as the best running back in Atlanta while Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) is on injured reserve. In Week 1, Williams was expected to work in tandem with Patterson before suffering a rib injury. He was placed on injured reserve, but he's eligible to be activated this week. We'll see what the Falcons do with Williams, Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Avery Williams, but Damien Williams could easily be the lead running back until Patterson returns. As such, Williams is worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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Williams could emerge as the best running back in Atlanta while Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) is on injured reserve. In Week 1, Williams was expected to work in tandem with Patterson before suffering a rib injury. He was placed on injured reserve, but he's eligible to be activated this week. We'll see what the Falcons do with Williams, Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and Avery Williams, but Damien Williams could easily be the lead running back until Patterson returns. As such, Williams is worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Moves to IR
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Williams (ribs) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
The veteran tailback didn't practice all week, but considering Williams managed to return to the Week 1 contest after suffering the ribs injury, it's a bit surprising to see him shift to injured reserve. As a result, the 30-year-old will be out a minimum of four weeks.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Won't play this week
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Williams (ribs) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Williams rejoined the Falcons' Week 1 contest after injuring his ribs early on, but he's missed practice ever since and now will sit out for at least one game. Avery Williams replaced him as the complement to Cordarrelle Patterson in the season opener, and while Williams could be modestly involved again, the Falcons likely will find work for rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier, who was a healthy scratch Week 1.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Not seen at practice Friday
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Williams (ribs) wasn't present at the media portion of Friday's practice, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Williams missed a good portion of the Falcons' Week 1 loss to the Saints due to a rib injury, which he deemed sore Monday, per Rothstein. The veteran running back didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and appears to have sat out again Friday, which doesn't bode well for his Week 2 status. If Williams is sidelined, rookie Tyler Allgeier, who was a healthy scratch for Week 1, and Avery Williams would be the primary beneficiaries behind starter Cordarrelle Patterson.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Another DNP on Thursday
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Williams (ribs) didn't practice Thursday, Ashton Edmunds of the Falcons' official site reports.
Williams missed a good portion of the Falcons' Week 1 loss to the Saints due to a rib injury, which he called sore Monday, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. So far, Williams hasn't stepped on the practice field during Week 2 prep, but he has one more chance to do so Friday. If he's limited or out Sunday at the Rams, Williams will yield complementary backfield reps to Avery Williams and Tyler Allgeier behind starter Cordarrelle Patterson.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Williams (ribs) was held out of practice Wednesday, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.
Williams left Sunday's opener against the Saints for a spell due to a rib injury, but he was able to return and play out the rest of the game. He relayed to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com on Monday that he's tending to sore ribs, which kept him out of the Falcons' first Week 2 practice. Williams has two more opportunities to get on the field this week, so his status will be watched as the week goes on to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's road game versus the Rams.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Picks up minor issue
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Williams is dealing with a rib soreness injury suffered in Sunday's season-opening loss to the Saints, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Williams confirmed that he did not break any of his ribs during the Falcons' Week 1 loss and that he only has some slight soreness Monday. The 30-year-old managed just two rushes for two yards over 10 offensive snaps played, as he was sidelined for much of Sunday's season opener. Assuming this injury does not ultimately prove more significant, Williams should see increased opportunities while serving as the team's No. 2 back behind Cordarrelle Patterson in Week 2 against the Rams.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Sidesteps injury in Week 1
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Williams rushed twice for two yards during Sunday's 27-26 loss to the Saints.
With rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier (coach's decision) inactive, Williams opened the game as the top backup behind Cordarrelle Patterson. However, the veteran running back left the contest on the first play of the Falcons' second offensive drive due to an injury to his ribs and eventually went to the locker room. He returned to the sideline after halftime, but he didn't get back into the game until the fourth quarter. Due to the injury, it's unclear what his role would have been behind Patterson, who dominated in Week 1, but as long as Allgeier is deemed not ready for game days, Williams -- barring a more serious injury -- figures to have the backup role locked down.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Back in Sunday's game
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Williams (ribs) returned to Sunday's game against the Saints, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Williams left this Week 1 divisional clash after the first play of the Falcons' second drive and went to the locker room for a spell. He was spotted back on the sideline after halftime, but it took him until the fourth quarter to get back on the field. Still, Williams likely will be limited to situational work as Cordarrelle Patterson leads the team's backfield.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Injures ribs Sunday
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Williams suffered a rib injury during Sunday's game against the Saints, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Williams remained on the turf after a run of no gain on the first play of Atlanta's second offensive possession. He eventually made his way off the field with team trainers and went to the locker room. Considering rookie fifth-rounder Tyler Allgeier was a healthy scratch Week 1, Cordarrelle Patterson may be in store for a significant workload if Williams isn't able to return.
There's a lot of late speculation that Williams could actually lead this Falcons backfield on early downs. It's a terrible matchup, and I still prefer Patterson because of his pass-catching ability, but Williams could be a desperation flex or a guy you pick up now to beat the waiver wire.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Listed as No. 2 back
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Williams is listed as the No. 2 running back on the Falcons' unofficial depth chart ahead of Sunday's game against the Saints, Scott Bair of the team's official site reports.
Williams was expected to replace Mike Davis as the primary backup behind Cordarrelle Patterson when he signed with the Falcons this offseason. However, Atlanta selected Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round of the draft and converted return man Avery Williams to running back, developments that appeared to put Williams on the roster bubble heading into training camp. Nonetheless, the veteran running back showed his worth during camp and the preseason and will still open the season as the top backup in a run-heavy offense. Williams could be in line for a solid role, given that Patterson isn't expected to operate as a workhorse.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Week 1 Adds
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There's a lot of late speculation that Williams could actually lead this Falcons backfield on early downs. It's a terrible matchup, and I still prefer Patterson because of his pass catching ability, but Williams could be a desperation flex or a guy you pick up now to beat the waiver wire.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Carving out backfield role
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As Week 1 approaches, Williams is part of a Falcons backfield that also includes Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Avery Williams.
Looking ahead to Sunday's season opener against the Saints, the versatile Cordarrelle Patterson, whose reps the Falcons limited this summer, figures to see his share of touches, but Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site suggests that Damien Williams could also factor in, with rookie Tyler Allgeier also in the mix. In that context, it remains to be seen how the team's carries are allocated, with Williams' looming workload tied in larger part to how may conventional running back carries (versus plays in which he moves around the formation) Patterson logs.
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Falcons' Damien Williams: Competing for roster spot
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Williams could be competing for a roster spot if the Falcons opt to keep only three running backs on their initial 53-man roster, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.
Kendall suggests that Cordarrelle Patterson, who led the team in rushing attempts and yards last season, and third-round pick Tyler Allgeier are locks to make the Week 1 roster. However, if the Falcons decide to keep just three running backs, then Williams will be competing for a roster spot with Avery Williams, who's converted from defensive back to running back this offseason. Kendall also mentions that if this is indeed the case, Avery's punt-return abilities would give him a decided advantage over Damien. Damien finished fourth in the NFL in yards after contact per carry (3.59) during his last full season (2019) and ended that campaign with 111 rushes for 498 yards, but he sat out 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns and saw just 40 rushing attempts last year with the Bears.
