The Kansas City Chiefs struck gold with Damien Williams

The offseason will feature organizations risking tons of funds on significant-caliber players. However, the Chiefs really don’t require to prospect it in their backfield.

Get in touch with it a blessing in disguise. Perhaps a diamond in the rough. Some would even ponder the believed of a very little Kansas City wonder.

Regardless of what the picked expression would not rather do justice to the emergence of Damien Williams on the depth chart for the Kansas City Chiefs on December 1st, 2018. On that morning, the Chiefs held a file of 9-2 and have been recovering in the course of a bye 7 days following falling to the Los Angeles Rams, 54-51. Getting dismissed their star operating back again Kareem Hunt the evening in advance of, the league’s best offense appeared susceptible with a chink in their armor.

Without the need of the operating output that undoubtedly relieved strain off second-12 months quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City would turn to a trio of halfbacks that experienced a combined 25 carries for 125 yards. A single, Spencer Ware, was a player a 12 months eliminated from an ACL personal injury. A different, Darrel Williams, was an undrafted absolutely free agent out of LSU. The 3rd and final selection, Damien Williams, was the moment an undrafted absolutely free agent himself out of Oklahoma who experienced spent four of his five seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Irrespective of dashing for fewer than 200 yards every single period so considerably in the NFL, Damien Williams would transition from seeing Kareem Hunt hurdle above cornerbacks from the sideline to lining up in the backfield guiding the most popular commodity the metropolis experienced found in its soccer history.

At the time, the Chiefs have been vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a shot to corral house-area advantage throughout the postseason, operating the Tremendous Bowl via Arrowhead Stadium. Of system, we all know the ending to the tear-jerking, gut-wrenchingly brutal AFC Championship video game towards the villainous dynasty that Tom Brady and Invoice Belichick designed. But this isn’t about how that ended, nor is it about that dreaded coin toss or Dee Ford lining up on the wrong aspect of history.

This is about locating the mild in this kind of a disappointing finish and arguing a pivotal motive the Chiefs observed on their own in all of these positions in the very first location. Never misconstrue the position, Patrick Mahomes is the league’s MVP and Travis Kelce/Tyreek Hill undoubtedly consider house gold and silver for the best contributors. However, when the Hunt online video was released, the unexpected offensive restrictions clouded their postseason aspirations.

Boasting the second-worst defense in the league forward of Cincinnati, the prevalent believed became, “Can this offense develop the exact same without having a operating back again?” Immediately after all, Kansas City was coming off a reduction in which they scored 51 factors with Hunt and even now shed. The postseason was under no circumstances in doubt, but procuring a shot at the Tremendous Bowl undoubtedly was.

Then arrived the 5’11, 224 lb Williams, who fully taking above the role of direct back again when Spencer Ware banged up his shoulder and hamstring towards Baltimore in Week 14. From there, Williams took off and averaged all over 95 all-goal yards and 1 touchdown via his seven-video game stint (together with playoffs). His performances inked him a 2-12 months/$8.1 million greenback extension with Kansas City that he signed a few months following Hunt was released.

Not only was Williams’ play an critical critical in coming inches absent from the team’s very first Tremendous Bowl visual appeal in virtually 50 several years, but his potential to outperform anticipations has set general manager Brett Veach in the finest spot possible heading into the offseason.

Let’s picture for a minute Williams doesn’t consider additional than 30 snaps or becomes plagued with the personal injury bug like Ware. In this scenario, Kansas City is faced with two dangerous selections. Initial, they could consider their likelihood in the draft and maybe use a decide on on a operating back again in both their 1st or 2nd decide on. 2nd, the worst feasible scenario, the Chiefs could attempt to throw bags of hard cash at 1 of the highest priced players in the current market in Le’Veon Bell. Perhaps Veach would’ve observed one more Kareem Hunt caliber athlete in the middle rounds or Bell would direct the league in dashing in 2019-20 for K.C. However, this will not be the scenario and Chiefs Kingdom can consider a sigh of aid realizing these selections will not be chanced.

If Kansas City depends on a rookie to start on a team with a Tremendous Bowl focus, the gamble could slide flat and would undertaking Mahomes to throw 60-70 periods a video game without having a regular run producer. Bringing Bell into the combine on a substantial deal handcuffs the front business and would not permit them to extend the bulk of their main players in Hill, Kelce, Chris Jones, and Mahomes.

Confident, the Chiefs would receive a 14-2 club at worst with the quantities Bell brings to the desk, but as absolutely free agency looms all over the corner for the star cast Kansas City possesses, their championship window would undoubtedly be lower in half and possibility shedding their most marketable abilities.

Dodging that bullet, Kansas City now can stay in-property when observing their selections transferring forward but assume that spot to be claimed by Williams. Not only young at 26 several years of age, “Big Game Dame” has statistically confirmed himself and remains additional than capable of heading into St. Joe this summertime as the very first-team operating back again.