The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams to their practice squad on Wednesday. Williams also worked out for the New York Jets and was considered for a return by the Bills after drafting him in the fifth round in 2015. Williams rushed for 517 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Backup running back DeAngelo Williams is dealing with a knee injury at the moment, which is likely why the Steelers decided to add some security to their backfield.
Steelers Sign Running Back Karlos Williams to Practice Squad
Williams just finished his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Williams will be on the Steelers roster with his older brother, linebacker Vince Williams. Vince has a pair of sacks and 30 tackles through five games in 2016. Perhaps having his older brother on the team will help Karlos become more disciplined.
The Steelers now have four running backs on their roster: Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams, Fitzgerald Toussaint and Karlos Williams. Since Karlos is only on the practice squad and not a member of the active roster, he can be signed by another team at any time. Many thought Williams was headed for a return to Buffalo since LeSean McCoy is nursing a possible hand injury, but the Bills can decide to sign him if they want and pluck him away from Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
Since Williams could be signed by another team, the Steelers may decide to promote him to the active roster and move Toussaint to the practice squad. So far in 2016, Toussaint has carried the ball four times for ten yards. He has 28 total carries for 64 yards (2.3 yards per carry) since his NFL career began in 2014. Karlos Williams averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his rookie season.
