Damien Williams signs deal with Las Vegas Raiders

Damien Williams hasn’t seen much action over his past two seasons in the NFL. Even so, the ninth-year running back is off the board in free agency as he has signed with his now signed with his fifth franchise.

Williams’ agent, Ian Greengross, shared news of his signing earlier this morning. He tweeted that his client is officially headed to Las Vegas to play for the Raiders this season.

Congrats to Damien Williams on signing with the @Raiders. Time for #DameDash to tear 'em up.

— Ian Greengross (@iangreengross) August 11, 2023

Williams has 1,397 career rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 336 attempts. He has done so in 98 appearances with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons.

He also has 154 catches for just over 1,200 receiving yards and 11 more scores.

Williams’ best season came in 2019 in Kansas City, his second and last with the team. He posted career-highs by far in touches (141) and scrimmage yards (711) along with seven total touchdowns. He was the leading rusher for a Chiefs team that went on to win Super Bowl LIV.

The Raider’s rushing attack is a big-time question mark with Josh Jacobs’ contract status still up in the air. That’s why Williams makes a lot of sense for the franchise as an experienced back to pick up this close to the season.

Davante Adams ‘not happy’ about absence of Josh Jacobs

As the Las Vegas Raiders approach their first preseason game of the year, it’s impossible to ignore the Josh Jacobs-sized hole on the roster. The star running back still has not signed his franchise tag deal for $10.1 million this season and he isn’t planning to join the team for training camp any time soon.

Raiders receiver Davante Adams discussed the situation on Sunday and though he didn’t outright say he believes the team should pay the running back, he did say that he believes Jacobs is the best back in the league.

“You see the way we like to play the game, we like to run the ball… Not having him right now is obviously something that I’m not happy with,” Adams said on NFL Network. “We got to keep it going as a team until we figure out that piece. Obviously, he’s a huge part of this team and this offense. He’s a really good leader.

“He played like the best back in the league last year, which if you ask me he is the best back in the league. It’s tough not having him at this point of the training period. We’ll see what happens down the line.”

“I’ve been in similar shoes in my time in Green Bay,” Adams added. “It’s not easy to push forward and make decisions when you don’t feel that true value from the organization, when they don’t value you the way you see yourself.”