Bengals soften blow at running back after key veteran leaves
Cincinnati retains one of Zac Taylor’s first draft picks.
The Cincinnati Bengals are re-signing running back Trayveon Williams.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Williams is coming back to Cincinnati a day after Samaje Perine departed for the Denver Broncos.
Williams, a fifth-year player in 2023, was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Bengals in 2019, head coach Zac Taylor's first NFL Draft class. Williams played college football at Texas A&M under offensive line coach Jim Turner, who was hired by Taylor that year.
Williams fit the wide zone scheme Taylor and the Bengals tried to implement for three years, which allowed him to stick around as a reserve behind Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. He's spent time on the active roster and practice squad through his first four years in the league.
In 2020, Williams achieved career highs in carries (26) and yards (157), and has a career yards per carry of 5.1 in limited action.
This past season, Williams transitioned to a kickoff returner and had decent success. He averaged 22.5 yards per return on 20 chances.
With Perine out of the building and Joe Mixon likely getting cut this offseason, Williams has a chance to elevate himself on the depth chart and battle the new additions Cincinnati is sure to bring in at running back
