Jonathan Williams (running back, born 1994)

Jonathan Williams (born February 2, 1994) is an American football running back for the Washington Football Team of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas. He has also been a member of the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions.

Not to be confused with Jonathan Williams (running back, born 1988) or Jonathan Williams (defensive lineman).
Jonathan Williams
Williams with the Buffalo Bills in 2016
No. 38 – Washington Football Team
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1994-02-02) February 2, 1994
Dallas, Texas
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Allen (Allen, Texas)
College:Arkansas
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 156
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Reserve/Future
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-SEC (2014)
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Rushing yards:334
Rushing average:4.2
Rushing touchdowns:2
Receptions:11
Receiving yards:81
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

High school

A native of Allen, Texas, he attended Allen High School, where he collected more than 3,500 rushing yards in his career and scored 39 total touchdowns.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 17th best running back prospect of his class, and drew comparisons to former Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner.[1] On November 16, 2011, he committed to play college football at Arkansas, after he had previously been committed to Missouri.[2][3]

College career
Williams (32) looks towards family in the stands

As a true freshman in 2012, he played in 11 games, and made two starts. He recorded 45 rushes for 231 yards and eight receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He scored his first career touchdown on a 74-yard pass, his first reception of his career, on the first offensive play of the game against Kentucky. As a sophomore in 2013, he played in all 12 games, making 11 starts. He recorded 150 carries for 900 yards, scoring four touchdowns while adding seven receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Teaming with true freshman Alex Collins,[4] they produced Arkansas’ second pair of teammates to each rush for at least 900 yards in the same season. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were the only previous tandem to do so, achieving the accomplishment in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.[5] In 2014, despite splitting carries with Collins, he rushed for 1,190 yards on 211 carries (5.6 avg) and 12 touchdowns.

On December 24, 2014, Williams announced on YouTube in a message to Razorback fans, that he would be returning for his senior season at Arkansas.[6] During summer camp leading into the 2015 season, Williams suffered a foot injury that would force him to miss the entire upcoming regular season.[7]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand sizeBench press
5 ft 10 3⁄4 in
(1.80 m)		 220 lb
(100 kg)		 31 5⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		16 reps
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills selected Williams in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[9] On May 13, 2016, he signed a four-year contract with the Bills.[10]

On September 3, 2017, Williams was released by the Bills.[11]

Denver Broncos

On September 5, 2017, Williams was signed to the Denver Broncos' practice squad.[12]

New Orleans Saints

On November 14, 2017, Williams was signed to a two-year deal by the New Orleans Saints off the Broncos' practice squad.[13]

On September 1, 2018, Williams was waived by the Saints and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[14][15] He was promoted to the active roster on September 8, 2018.[16] He was waived on September 28, 2018.[17]

Indianapolis Colts

On October 2, 2018, Williams was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad.[18] He was promoted to the active roster on November 20, 2018.[19]

In Week 11 of the 2019 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Williams rushed 13 times for 116 yards in the 33–13 win.[20] The following week, Williams ran for 104 yards and a score against the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football.[21] Williams appeared in nine games and recorded 49 carries for 235 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on the 2019 season.[22]

Detroit Lions

Williams was signed by the Detroit Lions on August 17, 2020.[23] He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[24][25] He was elevated to the active roster on September 12 for the team's Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears and reverted to the practice squad on September 14.[26] He was released on September 22.[27] He received one carry for the Lions, on Thanksgiving Day against the Texans. He fumbled on his only carry as a Lion.

Washington Football Team

On October 7, 2020, Williams was signed to the Washington Football Team's practice squad.[28]

Detroit Lions (second stint)

Williams was signed off Washington's practice squad by the Detroit Lions on October 30, 2020,[29] and was waived on December 24, 2020.[30]

Washington Football Team (second stint)

Williams re-signed to Washington's practice squad on December 31, 2020. On January 11, 2021, Williams signed a reserve/futures contract with Washington.[31]

References
  1. "Rivals".
  2. "Jonathan Williams commits to Arkansas". Star Local. November 16, 2011.
  3. Reports: Allen RB Jonathan Williams backs away from Missouri pledge, names Arkansas new favorite Archived December 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Williams, Collins Leading Run Game Revival". Arkansas News.
  5. "Williams, Collins mirroring Jones, McFadden's production at Arkansas". Saturday Down South.
  6. "Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams to return for senior year". Yahoo Sports. December 25, 2014.
  7. "Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams to miss regular season: 4 things to know". CBSSports.com.
  8. "Jonathan Williams Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  9. James, Jordan. "Former Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams picked by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of NFL Draft". SECCountry.com.
  10. Brown, Chris (May 13, 2016). "Bills sign fifth-round pick RB Jonathan Williams". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  11. Patra, Kevin (September 3, 2017). "Notable cuts: Bills release backup Jonathan Williams". NFL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  12. Patra, Kevin (September 5, 2017). "Broncos sign RB Jonathan Williams to practice squad". NFL.com.
  13. Shook, Nick (November 14, 2017). "Saints signing running back Jonathan Williams". NFL.com.
  14. "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 1, 2018.
  15. "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 2, 2018.
  16. "Saints promote running back Jonathan Williams to active roster". NOLA.com. September 8, 2018.
  17. "Saints promote RB Dwayne Washington to active roster, waive Jonathan Williams". NOLA.com. September 28, 2018.
  18. "Roster Moves: Colts Sign RB Jonathan Williams To Practice Squad; Waive RB Jeremy McNichols". Colts.com. October 2, 2018.
  19. "Roster Move: Colts Elevate RB Jonathan Williams To Active Roster". Colts.com. November 20, 2018.
  20. "Colts overpower Jaguars with strong ground game in 33-13 win". www.espn.com. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  21. Walker, Andrew (November 22, 2019). "Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Williams delivers his second straight 100-yard rushing performance Thursday night in the Colts' Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans". Colts.com.
  22. "Jonathan Williams 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  23. "Lions sign free agent RB Jonathan Williams". www.detroitlions.com. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  24. "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. September 5, 2020.
  25. "Lions establish practice squad". DetroitLions.com. September 6, 2020.
  26. Risdon, Jeff (September 12, 2020). "Lions elevate Kenny Wiggins, Jonathan Williams from practice squad for Week 1". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  27. "Jonathan Williams: Released from practice squad". CBSSports.com. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  28. "Washington Signs RB Jonathan Williams To Practice Squad". NFL Trade Rumors. October 7, 2020.
  29. Raven, Benjamin. "Detroit Lions sign running back Jonathan Williams from Washington's practice squad". mlive.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  30. Schlitt, Erik (December 24, 2020). "Detroit Lions release RB Jonathan Williams". USAToday.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  31. Washington Football Team Public Relations. "Washington Signs 13 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
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