The final week of the preseason is upon us, but unlike past year we don’t have the 75-man roster cutdown to deal with in 2017. All of the guys who might otherwise have missed their last chance to stand out will stick on their rosters this year. The Buffalo Bills have a few of those guys, including one defensive tackle who went undrafted out of an ACC school before the Bills gave him a chance to make an impression. So far, it’s hard to say he’s done that, one way or the other.
Name: Nigel Williams
# 93
Position: DT
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 297 lbs.
Experience: R
College: Virginia Tech
Draft: UDFA (2017)
Financial Situation (per Spotrac): Williams is on a standard three-year UDFA deal. He’s set to make $465k this season with $90k raises in each of the next two seasons. There is no dead cap hit if the Bills release him.
2016 Recap: Williams recorded 17 tackles and half a sack in eight games for the 10-4 Hokies. Five of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage, including two during a 52-10 blowout of Virginia in November.
Positional Outlook: Williams is a long shot to make the roster at this point, but with three defensive tackles missing practice yesterday he’s at least likely to see plenty of reps against the Detroit Lions in the preseason finale.
2017 Offseason: Williams signed with the Bills during the initial post-draft flurry, but really hasn’t done much since. In 38 snaps so far this preseason, Williams has yet to record a stat. Even more telling, he’s barely seen any special teams action, with only one play in each of the first two games and none at all against the Baltimore Ravens.
2017 Season Outlook: If an undrafted rookie isn’t contributing on special teams, their odds of making the roster are very slim. Williams hasn’t stood out on the field, and there are plenty of bodies ahead of him on the depth chart. If he’s stood out in any closed work, he might earn a spot on the practice squad. I wouldn’t put any money on it, though.