Jonathan Williams (running back, born 1994)
Jonathan Williams (born February 2, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas.
![]() Williams with the Buffalo Bills in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
Free agent | |||||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | Dallas, Texas | February 2, 1994||||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||||||
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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
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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
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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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]
References
- "Rivals".
- "Jonathan Williams commits to Arkansas". Star Local. November 16, 2011.
- Reports: Allen RB Jonathan Williams backs away from Missouri pledge, names Arkansas new favorite Archived December 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "Williams, Collins Leading Run Game Revival". Arkansas News.
- "Williams, Collins mirroring Jones, McFadden's production at Arkansas". Saturday Down South.
- "Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams to return for senior year". Yahoo Sports. December 25, 2014.
- "Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams to miss regular season: 4 things to know". CBSSports.com.
- "Jonathan Williams Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- James, Jordan. "Former Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams picked by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of NFL Draft". SECCountry.com.
- Brown, Chris (May 13, 2016). "Bills sign fifth-round pick RB Jonathan Williams". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- Patra, Kevin (September 3, 2017). "Notable cuts: Bills release backup Jonathan Williams". NFL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- Patra, Kevin (September 5, 2017). "Broncos sign RB Jonathan Williams to practice squad". NFL.com.
- Shook, Nick (November 14, 2017). "Saints signing running back Jonathan Williams". NFL.com.
- "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 1, 2018.
- "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 2, 2018.
- "Saints promote running back Jonathan Williams to active roster". NOLA.com. September 8, 2018.
- "Saints promote RB Dwayne Washington to active roster, waive Jonathan Williams". NOLA.com. September 28, 2018.
- "Roster Moves: Colts Sign RB Jonathan Williams To Practice Squad; Waive RB Jeremy McNichols". Colts.com. October 2, 2018.
- "Roster Move: Colts Elevate RB Jonathan Williams To Active Roster". Colts.com. November 20, 2018.
- "Colts overpower Jaguars with strong ground game in 33-13 win". www.espn.com. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- 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.
- "Jonathan Williams 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.