Damien Williams

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Not to be confused with Damian Williams or Damion Williams.

Damien Williams
refer to caption
Williams with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
No. 8 – Chicago Bears
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1992-04-03) April 3, 1992 (age 29)
San Diego, California
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Mira Mesa
(San Diego, California)
College:Oklahoma (2012–2013)
Undrafted:2014
Career history
  • Miami Dolphins (2014–2017)
  • Kansas City Chiefs (2018–2020)
  • Chicago Bears (2021–present)
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Super Bowl champion (LIV)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2021
Rushing yards:1,370
Rushing average:4.1
Receptions:149
Receiving yards:1,170
Return yards:584
Total touchdowns:24
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Damien Williams (born April 3, 1992) is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, and won Super Bowl LIV with the team. In that Super Bowl, he scored the Chiefs' game-clinching touchdown on a 38-yard run with less than two minutes left in the game.

Early years[]

Williams attended his freshman year and played varsity at El Cajon Valley High School.[1] Over the next three years, he played high school football at Mira Mesa Senior High School.[2]

College career[]

Williams was originally expected to play college football at Arizona State but did not meet the ACT test score requirement. So he played at Arizona Western College before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in 2012.[3] In November 2013, he was dismissed from Oklahoma after violating team rules.[4] In two seasons with the Sooners, he rushed for 1,499 yards with 18 touchdowns, including a 95-yard touchdown run against Texas in 2012.[5][6]

Collegiate statistics[]

Damien Williams Rushing Receiving
Season Team Pos GP Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2012 Oklahoma RB 13 176 946 5.4 11 34 320 9.4 1
2013 Oklahoma RB 9 114 553 4.9 7 9 90 10.0 0
Career 22 290 1,499 5.2 18 43 410 9.5 1

Professional career[]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11+1⁄4 in
(1.81 m) 		222 lb
(101 kg) 		30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.45 s 4.25 s 7.37 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 16 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]

Miami Dolphins[]

2014 season[]

Williams was signed by the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.[8]

Williams in 2014

Williams made his NFL debut in the 2014 season opener against the New England Patriots. He had one kick return for 19 yards in the 33–20 victory.[9] In the next game, a 29–10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he had five carries for 19 yards.[10] In Week 16, against the Minnesota Vikings, he had six receptions for 50 yards and his first professional touchdown.[11] Overall, he finished the 2014 season with 36 carries for 122 yards and 21 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown.[12]

2015 season[]

During Week 2, in a 23–20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Williams had a receiving touchdown.[13] He finished the 2015 season with 21 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown.[14]

2016 season[]

In 2016, Williams played in 15 games, rushing for 115 yards and three touchdowns while recording 23 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns.[15] The Dolphins made the playoffs and faced off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. In the 30–12 defeat, he had a four-yard receiving touchdown.[16]

2017 season[]

Set to be a restricted free agent in 2017, the Dolphins tendered Williams at the lowest level. After reportedly wanting a larger contract than the $1.797 million tender for 2017, he officially signed the tender on May 11, 2017.[17]

Williams entered the 2017 season second on the Dolphins running back depth chart behind Jay Ajayi. After Ajayi was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, he was named the starting running back ahead of Kenyan Drake.[18] Williams started four games before suffering a shoulder injury in Week 12. He was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder and was expected to be out for two to three weeks.[19] He ended up missing the rest of the season as Kenyan Drake emerged as a key contributor for the Dolphins, starting the final six games with two 100 rushing-yard games.

Williams finished the season with 46 carries for 181 rushing yards along with 20 receptions for 155 yards and a receiving touchdown.[20]

Kansas City Chiefs[]

2018 season[]

Williams signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 22, 2018.[21]

Williams's role increased after the release of former starter, Kareem Hunt. On December 27, 2018, the Chiefs signed Williams to a two-year, $8.1 million contract extension.[22]

Williams finished the 2018 season with 256 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 23 receptions, 160 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.[23] He was called upon in the playoffs as the Chiefs' feature back. In the Divisional Round victory over the Indianapolis Colts, he had 129 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with five receptions for 25 receiving yards.[24] In the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, he had 30 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, five receptions, 66 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns in the 37–31 overtime loss.[25]

2019 season[]

During Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams rushed 12 times for 125 yards and a 91-yard touchdown in the 26–23 win. This was his first game with at least 100 rushing yards of the season.[26] The 91-yard run tied Jamaal Charles for the longest touchdown run in franchise history.[27] In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Williams rushed 12 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard touchdown, and caught four passes for 30 yards during the 31–21 win.[28]

Williams finished the 2019 season with 498 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 30 receptions for 213 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[29] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans, he rushed 12 times for 47 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown during the 51–31 win.[30] In the AFC Championship Game against the Tennessee Titans, Williams rushed 17 times for 45 yards and a touchdown and caught 5 passes for 44 yards during the 35–24 win.[31] In Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, Williams rushed 17 times for 104 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown, and caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown during the 31–20 win. He scored a receiving touchdown with 2:44 left in the game that gave the Chiefs the lead. He then scored the game clinching rushing touchdown that gave the Chiefs a 10 point lead with 1:12 left in the game. He is the first player in Super Bowl history with at least 100 rushing yards while recording a rushing and receiving touchdown.[32]

2020 season[]

On July 29, 2020, the Chiefs announced that Williams would opt-out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] The following day, he announced on Sirius XM NFL radio that the reason he opted-out was because his mother had recently been diagnosed with stage IV cancer.[34] He was released after the season on March 16, 2021.[35]

Chicago Bears[]

On March 26, 2021, Williams signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears.[36]

NFL career statistics[]

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Regular season statistics
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Returning Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2014 MIA 16 0 36 122 3.4 19 0 21 187 8.9 32 1 5 102 20.4 26 0 0 0
2015 MIA 16 0 16 59 3.7 19 0 21 142 6.8 23 1 21 457 21.8 37 0 2 1
2016 MIA 15 0 35 115 3.3 23 3 23 249 10.8 58 3 3 32 10.7 17 0 1 1
2017 MIA 11 4 46 181 3.9 69 0 20 155 7.8 24 1 1 -7 -7.0 -7 0 0 0
2018 KC 16 3 50 256 5.1 25 4 23 160 7.0 32 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1
2019 KC 11 6 111 498 4.5 91T 5 30 213 7.1 32 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1
Career 85 13 294 1,231 4.2 91T 12 138 1,106 8.0 58 10 30 584 19.5 37 0 5 4
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Returning Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2016 MIA 1 0 3 14 4.7 15 0 1 4 4.0 4T 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2018 KC 2 2 35 159 4.5 24 2 10 91 9.1 33 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2019 KC 3 3 46 196 4.3 38T 4 11 94 8.5 17 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0
Career 6 5 84 369 4.4 38T 6 22 189 8.6 33 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0

References[]

  1. ^ "Damien Williams' High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Brand, Steve. "Mother's sacrifice paves the way for Mira Mesa's record-setting RB". San Diego Union–Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "RB Damien Williams takes U-turn to Oklahoma".
  4. ^ "RB Damien Williams dismissed from Oklahoma".
  5. ^ "Damien Williams 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Damien Williams 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Damien Williams Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  8. ^ "Miami Dolphins sign Oklahoma tailback Damien Williams".
  9. ^ "New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins - September 7th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - September 14th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins - December 21st, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  12. ^ "Damien Williams 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  13. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars - September 20th, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  14. ^ "Damien Williams 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "Damien Williams 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 8th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. ^ Alper, Josh (May 11, 2017). "Damien Williams signs RFA tender". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  18. ^ "Miami Dolphins Depth Chart (11/01/2017)". OurLads.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "Dolphins' Damien Williams: Likely out 2-to-3 weeks". CBSSports.com. November 27, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  20. ^ "Damien Williams 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  21. ^ Teicher, Adam (March 22, 2018). "Chiefs reach deal with ex-Dolphins RB Damien Williams". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  22. ^ Teicher, Adam (December 27, 2018). "Damien Williams gets extension from Chiefs after filling in for Kareem Hunt". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  23. ^ "Damien Williams 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "Divisional Round - Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs - January 12th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs - January 20th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Butker's late FGs help Chiefs rally past Vikings, 26-23". www.espn.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  27. ^ Grathoff, Pete (May 27, 2020). "Chiefs' Damien Williams burns Vikings for 91-yard TD on longest run of year in NFL". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Chiefs top Bolts 31-21 to earn No. 2 seed, first-round bye". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  29. ^ "Damien Williams 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  30. ^ "Chiefs rally from 24-0 hole to beat Texans 51-31 in playoffs". www.espn.com. Associated Press. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  31. ^ "Mahomes' feet, arms, lift Chiefs to Super Bowl over Titans". www.espn.com. Associated Press. January 19, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  32. ^ "Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31-20". www.espn.com. Associated Press. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  33. ^ @Chiefs (July 29, 2020). "Statement from GM Brett Veach "Damien Williams informed the club of his decision to opt out of the 2020 season."" (Tweet). Retrieved July 29, 2020 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Damien Williams reveals why he opted out of 2020 NFL season". ArrowheadPride.com.
  35. ^ "With youth and depth at the position, Kansas City Chiefs release veteran running back Damien Williams". ESPN.com.
  36. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 26, 2021). "Roster Move: Bears land ex-Chiefs RB Williams". ChicagoBears.com.

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