Williams won't be a priority draft pick this summer, but he might be one off the waiver wire during the year. Of course, we've said similar things for four years now without Williams even getting a sniff of regular work. He's averaged 5.1 yards per carry in his career but has just 47 career rush attempts. He's averaged 8.0 yards per catch in his career but has just eight receptions. He has zero career touchdowns. But if Joe Mixon misses playing time at any point, Williams should be in position to at least share carries. Remember the name as a possible waiver-wire add during the year.
Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Minimal role as backup
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Williams didn't log any carries and had two catches for four yards in Sunday's loss to the Ravens.
With Chris Evans inactive, Williams was the primary backup to Joe Mixon, even getting snaps on the first drive of the game. But with the Bengals trailing by two scores for most of the second half, there weren't many carries to spread around.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Minimal usage in Week 1
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Williams played 15 offensive snaps in a Week 1 loss to the Browns, carrying the ball twice for seven yards.
Williams is currently third in line on the team for carries, with Joe Mixon getting the vast majority of opportunities and Chris Evans working in on passing downs. Williams' 25 snaps on special teams likely explained why he was active and rookie Chase Brown was not.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: In backup mix Sunday
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Williams and Chris Evans are slated to work behind Joe Mixon in Sunday's season opener against the Browns, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Rookie fifth-rounder Chase Brown is a candidate to join the team's backfield mix as the season rolls along, but he's inactive for Week 1. As a result, Williams and Evans are in line to handle complementary touches behind Mixon, with Williams a candidate to serve as an early-down backup and third-down work up for grabs.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: In clear for Week 1
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Williams (ankle) wasn't listed Wednesday on the Bengals' initial Week 1 injury report.
Williams missed a few weeks of practice and preseason action after spraining his ankle Aug. 1. He's now ready to play in Sunday's game in Cleveland, though even as part of a shaky Cincinnati backfield he'll probably be a healthy inactive or restricted to special teams rather than handling a significant role on offense. Chris Evans and Chase Brown both are more likely to get playing time off the bench behind Joe Mixon.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: To be 100 percent next week
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Williams (ankle) said Thursday he expects to be back to full health next week, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams has an opportunity to compete for a change-of-pace role behind top running back Joe Mixon, when healthy. A mild right ankle sprain suffered Aug. 1 forced Williams to miss the entire preseason, but barring any setbacks, he seems on track to return to full health ahead of Week 1's opener at Cleveland. Chase Brown and Chris Evans (undisclosed) will also be in contention for backup snaps behind Mixon.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: In line to practice soon
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Coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday that Williams (ankle) is slated to practice this week, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Williams suffered a mild right ankle sprain during an Aug. 1 practice and proceeded to miss the entire preseason slate. After spending all month in recovery mode, though, his return to drills is imminent. While the Bengals entrust their backfield in Joe Mixon, Williams will be among the options for reps behind him along with Chris Evans (undisclosed) and 2023 fifth-round pick Chase Brown after the team waived undrafted rookies Jacob Saylors and Calvin Tyler on Tuesday.
Williams (ankle) is not in uniform for Saturday's preseason game against the Commanders, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Williams has been dealing with an ankle sprain since Aug. 1, which has caused him to miss all three preseason bouts. With running back Chris Evans (undisclosed) also out of Saturday's game, rookie Chase Brown should get a heavy workload in the Bengals' preseason finale.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Slated to miss time
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Williams was diagnosed Thursday with a mild right ankle sprain and is expectd to miss a couple of weeks, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.
Williams, who entered training camp in contention for the top backup role behind starting back Joe Mixon, thus is in line to miss the Bengals' preseason opener, at a minimum. In his looming absence, added backfield reps will be available for Chase Brown and Chris Evans.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Dealing with ankle sprain
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Williams, who was carted off the practice field Tuesday, is thought to have suffered a mild ankle sprain, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The report suggests that Williams will likely miss a couple of weeks, assuming the initial diagnosis is confirmed. It seems safe to assume the running back won't play in the Bengals' preseason opener, but it appears as though Williams avoided a serious injury and will be able to re-enter the backup mix behind starter Joe Mixon before too long. While he's sidelined, added RB reps will be available for Chase Brown and Chris Evans.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Exits with leg injury
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Williams suffered an apparent leg injury Tuesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
It's too early to know for sure, but initial reports make it sound like the injury could be serious. Williams is entering his fifth pro season and has mostly played special teams to date, but the Bengals' lack of backfield depth behind Joe Mixon gives him a chance at the third-down role. The team otherwise has Chase Brown, Chris Evans and a couple undrafted rookies competing for spots in camp.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Likely returning to Cincinnati
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The Bengals plan to re-sign Williams on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Williams suited up for each of Cincinnati's final seven regular-season games and all three playoff matchups, but he operated primarily on special teams when Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine were healthy. Perine is expected to sign with Denver soon, so barring any additional moves, Williams could have an elevated role in 2023. Williams was selected by the Bengals in the sixth round of the 2019 Draft and has totaled 47 rushing attempts for 238 yards and secured eight of 10 targets for 64 receiving yards over the past three seasons (23 appearances).
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Serves as return man Week 18
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Williams played all 21 of his snaps on special teams Sunday in the Bengals' 27-16 win over the Ravens.
Williams was active for the Bengals' final seven games of the regular season, but he didn't receive any touches on offense over the last three of those contests while Cincinnati had both of Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine available out of the backfield. The Texas A&M product has, however, overtaken Chris Evans as Cincinnati's kickoff returner. Williams brought back two kickoffs for 48 yards against Baltimore to bring his average up to 22.3 yards per runback over 16 attempts during the regular season.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Healthy scratch
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Williams (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's season opener against the Steelers, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams made the Bengals' initial 53-man roster, but he was let go a day later to make room for a trio of wavier claims. He then returned to the team after Cincinnati placed multiple players on injured reserve. However, he's a healthy scratch for Week 1 as the Bengals have opted to keep only three running backs on the active roster -- Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Chris Evans.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Re-signs with Cincinnati
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The Bengals re-signed Williams on Friday.
Williams made the initial 53-man roster, but he was let go a day later to make room for a trio of waiver claims. However, he's now returned to the team after the Bengals placed Tycen Anderson and Isaiah Prince on IR. The 2019 sixth-round pick has appeared in 26 games over the past three years in Cincinnati, totaling 47 touches for 242 yards.
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Trayveon Williams: Waived by Cincinnati
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The Bengals waived Williams on Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Williams made the initial 53-man roster, but he was let go Wednesday to make room for a trio of waiver claims. The 2019 sixth-round pick appeared in 26 games over three years with the Bengals, totaling 47 touches for 242 yards.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Used behind Evans
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Williams rushed nine times for 28 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for three yards in Sunday's 25-22 preseason loss to the Giants.
Williams was the second Cincinnati running back to see the field after Chris Evans, who got the start with both Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine sitting out. Most of Williams' contributions came on the first drive of the second half, which the 2019 sixth-round pick capped with a one-yard rushing touchdown. Williams seems to be locked into the fourth spot on Cincinnati's running back depth chart, which leaves him squarely on the roster bubble.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Signed to active roster
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Williams was signed to the Bengals' active roster from the practice squad Saturday, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams has been elevated from the practice squad on two occasions this season. However, he'll now join the roster on a more permanent basis, which could mean bad news for Chris Evans (ankle) from an injury perspective. When active, Williams has played primarily on special teams, but he does have six carries for 13 yards.
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Trayveon Williams: Reverts to practice squad
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Williams reverted to the Bengals' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Williams was called up to add depth to Cincinnati's running back group with Chris Evans (hamstring) unable to go Sunday against the Jets. Williams ultimately only played eight snaps, all on special teams. If Evans misses Week 9 against the Browns, Williams will look for another chance to play Sunday.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Joining active roster
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Williams is being elevated to the Bengals' 53-man roster for Sunday's game against the Jets, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams gets the call with Chris Evans set to miss the game with a hamstring issue. The 24-year-old Williams is unlikely to see much work behind Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine.
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Bengals' Trayveon Williams: Moves to active roster
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Williams has been elevated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Lions.
Williams will take over for Samaje Perine, who will not be activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Sunday's contest. The 23-year-old made a couple of brief appearances last season when Joe Mixon was sidelined, most notably tallying a 12-carry, three-catch effort as the de-facto starter in Week 14 against the Cowboys. The move essentially guarantees Mixon will be expected to handle his full workload, an important distinction considering he's currently listed as questionable with a nagging ankle injury.
