The 2023 NFL free agency is right around the corner. While some players will work out extensions to remain with their current teams, most will become unrestricted free agents and hit the open market, which very well could be the case for Detroit Lions RB Jamaal Williams. Proven to be one of the more underrated players at his position, what are some possible landing spots for Williams for the 2023 season?
Jamaal Williams Free Agency Predictions
One of the best personalities in the NFL, Williams heads into free agency following a career-best season. The soon-to-be seventh-year veteran made the most of his opportunities last year, recording a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022. This broke a Lions franchise record held by Barry Sanders, who scored 16 touchdowns in 1991. You might’ve heard of him.
However, Williams is also more than just a short-area running back inside the goal line. He rushed for a career-high 1,066 yards in 2022, his first time crossing the 1,000-yard threshold, and recorded 65 first downs, which tied for the fourth most in football.
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With more teams utilizing committee approaches across the league, players like Williams will always have a role in the NFL, as being able to convert against stacked boxes when the defense knows you’re going to run the ball is a skill set not every RB possesses. However, Williams can take that a step further, as he also brings value in pass protection, catches out of the backfield, and the amount of volume he can maintain.
Due to this diverse skill set and the energy Williams brings to a locker room, he will be a sought-after name in a loaded running back free agency class filled with names like Saquon Barkley, David Montgomery, Miles Sanders, Kareem Hunt, Damien Harris, and others.
Returning to Detroit Would Make Too Much Sense for Williams
Detroit is building something special. The feeling around the team completely changed going into last year, and the product on the field reflected the coaching staff’s mentality and the culture’s change.
While players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and D’Andre Swift steal the spotlight, Detroit has one of the best offensive lines in football. If you’re a running back who has to rely on that position, that is assuredly going to weigh into your decision-making process.
Williams was in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine, and according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions met with Williams’ agent but went on to say he expects interest from outside suitors.
“The Lions are working to re-sign leading rusher Jamaal Williams. He has made it known he wants to return to Detroit, and his representatives met with the Lions on Wednesday at the Combine, but he is expected to garner interest from the Panthers, Bills, and others on the open market.”
Williams himself commented on this topic when he made a stop with the Detroit media team on radio Road during the Super Bowl with team reporter Tim Twentyman.
“I really just want to stay with Detroit if I can,” Williams told Twentyman via the team’s website. “Really just stay here and make my mark here. I really want to finish [my career] here if I could.”
Williams did state that he also understood at the end of the day, this is a business.
“I understand it’s a business, and the team has to do what’s best for them, and I have to do what’s best for me, too, but I just really want us to come to a mutual agreement and just get it done and just get back to playing football.”
Carolina Could Be a Significant Player in Williams’ Market
If not for the Lions, the Panthers would be my pick for what helmet Williams puts on for the 2023 season. Carolina could be in the market for a running back as D’Onta Foreman is currently slated to become a free agent after forming a committee with Chuba Hubbard last season.
While Foreman did play exceptionally well at times, we have to look at one of the additions made by the Carolina Panthers this offseason in assistant head coach and running back coach Duce Staley who was with the Lions during the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Williams.
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With Frank Reich in as head coach and Staley in the fold, the Panthers will want to run the ball in 2023 but need playmakers to do so. While I expect Foreman to be the priority for the Panthers, the Williams/Staley connection is enough to lure him away from the Lions once the 2023 free agency signing period officially opens.
Williams Could Chase a Ring With the Buffalo Bills
The Bills have very few holes on their roster, but the running back position remains a question this offseason. The team did select James Cook in the second round out of Georgia last season, but Devin Singletary is slated to become a free agent after spending his first four seasons in the NFL with the Bills.
Cook is an electric running back and was the best receiving option out of the backfield in his draft class. However, his skill set is not conducive to between-the-tackles running, which was where Singletary would take over with the two splitting reps.
Williams would be a natural fit to come in and be the two-down back for the Bills while complementing Cook, who would serve as the change of pace and receiving option on passing downs.
With the Bills finding themselves in the red zone at one of the highest rates in the NFL, Williams would likely once again be toward the league lead in touchdowns while presenting defenses with another headache to worry about when facing a loaded Bills offense.
Jammal Williams’ Market Value, Career Stats, And More
Selected in the fourth round out of BYU by the Green Bay Packers in 2017, Williams has been one of the unsung leaders in the NFL. Unfortunately for Williams, he has spent his career sharing the backfield with two of the league’s most dynamic and well-rounded running backs: Aaron Jones and D’Andre Swift.
Spending his first four seasons with the Packers, Williams played second fiddle to Jones, accounting for 41% of the running back attempts and 37% of the running back targets with a 45% snap share. In total, Williams rushed 500 times for 1,985 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 60 games over his four-year span with the team.
While Jones was the preferred option of the backfield, Williams proved to be a capable pass catcher as well, collecting 122 of his 155 targets for 961 yards and eight touchdowns, bringing his yearly average to 155.5 touches per season.
With the Packers committing $48 million to Jones in March 2021, the writing was on the wall for Williams, and the franchise opted to release him following the expiration of his rookie contract — something Williams had no concerns speaking about.
“It ain’t hard for them to say ‘bye,” Williams said. “They let me (go). Y’all act like I left on my own, golly. I didn’t do it. Shoot, if I could have stayed, I could have stayed. If I can’t, they didn’t want me.”
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After signing with the Lions, his first season was dead in line with his career totals, accounting for 179 total touches with 758 scrimmage yards and three combined TDs. But as we saw and noted, Year 2 under Dan Campbell was an utterly different-looking team.
Williams was also a critical factor due to the injury concerns surrounding Swift, and the team placed a more significant workload on his shoulders, with Williams blowing away his previous career high with 262 attempts in 2022.
Set to turn 28 in March, Williams is on the older side of the running back position and is one of the veteran players available during free agency. This is reflected in his market value, which is lower than what you would initially expect for someone coming off of a career-best season. However, Spotrac has Williams with an estimated market value of $4.1 million AAV on a two-year, $8.35 million contract.
Given the odds that William is more likely to outperform his contract than fall short, he could become one of the best values of the entire signing cycle. No matter where Williams lands, he will instantly become a fan favorite.
Jamaal Williams’ Career Stats
- Rushing Yards: 3,652
- Rushing Attempts: 915
- Rushing Touchdowns: 30
- Receptions: 160
- Targets: 199
- Receiving Yards: 1,191
- Receiving Touchdowns: 8