Buffalo Bills: Don't worry about Karlos Williams's weight

There isn’t much to talk about in the offseason, so whenever a player loses or puts on weight, his conditioning- or, more often than not, lack thereof- becomes a headline.

Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams reported to minicamp overweight, and official site beat writer Chris Brown reported that the second-year pro will be restricted to position work before training with the strength and conditioning staff. Head coach Rex Ryan would like him to get back down to 230 pounds, though he does worry about Williams losing the weight too quickly, adding that “he’s not anywhere close” to his playing weight.

Williams, per ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Rodak, blamed the rise in weight on his pregnant fiancee’s pregnancy and her food cravings. That may be the reason why he is out of shape, but nobody is buying this as a legitimate excuse.

As an athlete, your body is your life, and there is no excuse to showing up to camp overweight. We all saw what happened to Green Bay Packers star Eddie Lacy last season when he didn’t take his nutrition and conditioning seriously, so I guess the worry is that Williams will fall into the same pitfall.

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I find it interesting that Ryan himself said of Williams’s situation, “I don’t think it’s gonna be easy. I don’t think that at all.”

That’s probably because he’s concerned that Williams could lose too much strength if he sheds the weight rapidly, and you can call me overly optimistic, but I’m not as fearful of a subpar- or even lost- season from the former Florida State standout.

Nov 8, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams (29) runs the ball in for a touchdown during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Buffalo beats Miami 33 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Williams has time to round into shape, and he played so well as a rookie that it’s hard for me to envision him being that ineffective in 2016, even if he is out of shape. The man was one of the most efficient running backs in the NFL last year, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 47 yards per game with nine total touchdowns on just 104 touches.

Being forced out of team drills and pushed into the weight room could derail Williams’s season, and it isn’t impossible for him to suffer a sophomore slump akin to what happened to Cincinnati Bengals RB Jeremy Hill, who was an even bigger rookie success story in 2014.

The thing is, we have no reason to panic or even raise our eyebrows, because how far could he have set himself back by overeating? In fact, I’m willing to bet that the sense of urgency Ryan conveys is a motivational ploy, and the desire to get him working with the strength and conditioning staff right away reflects the fact that they want him to work with the team in training camp when it matters more.

More importantly for Bills fans, it’s not like Buffalo’s hopes ride on Williams. Yes, he’s a highly gifted rusher, and the YPC and TD stats jump off the page.

However, the Bills aren’t exactly hurting at the running back position. Home-run hitter LeSean McCoy still leads the way, rookie Jonathan Williams is in the mix, and Mike Gillislee produced a couple of huge performances last season, averaging 5.7 yards per carry as a whole.

With or without Williams, the Bills running game will be impressive, even if it might not be quite as effective. The Bills biggest issues are the pass rush and wide receiver talent beyond the currently injured Sammy Watkins, so Williams’s conditioning shouldn’t be seen as a big deal.

It’s kind of annoying how he failed to keep his nutrition on point, but these things happen; it’s only an issue if it becomes a regular occurrence. Considering that Williams has four kids and blamed the eating on his fiancee’s pregnancy, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

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Buffalo Bills: Don’t worry about Karlos Williams’s weight

By Kevin Parvizi | Jun 15, 2016

There isn’t much to talk about in the offseason, so whenever a player loses or puts on weight, his conditioning- or, more often than not, lack thereof- becomes a headline.