Earlier this offseason, the Indianapolis Colts brass spent some time hyping up undrafted free agent running back Josh Ferguson as the answer to their backup running back problem.
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It made sense at the time, considering how elusive Ferguson looked in college, and many were intrigued by his potential to be a Dion Lewis-type factor in the Indianapolis Colts explosive offense. Pass protection figured to be an important task for him in the preseason, but I doubt anyone could have anticipated a yards-per-carry average of less than 1.0 from Ferguson through two preseason games.
As a pass-catcher, Ferguson hasn’t been a big factor either, catching just two passes for 13 yards. Both Jordan Todman and Robert Turbin have just two preseason receptions, sure, but they have 46 and 22 yards on those catches, respectively.
The Colts are hoping Frank Gore can get back to being a 1,000-yard rusher again, and I firmly believe he is still capable of this. Much of his success will come down to the offensive line, but he is shaping up to be a true workhorse for the Colts offense.
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Gore has always been able to shoulder a huge load, but the Colts need to be concerned about the players behind them. Nobody else on the roster looks like a true in-between-the-tackles runner who can consistently pick up yardage, and only Todman has looked competent this preseason. Now, there are still two games left and the preseason isn’t everything, but Indianapolis should feel concerned.
One player in free agency should pique their interest enough to cause them to take a cursory look at him.
Karlos Williams was released by the Buffalo Bills just two days ago, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that he has cleared waivers, making him a free agent available to sign with any team.
Former Bills' RB Karlos Williams went unclaimed on waivers, per source. Now a free agent.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2016
There’s a reason why this article isn’t titled “Colts should sign Williams”, because his situation is just too complicated. He has major weight issues that started earlier in the offseason, and the Bills released him after reportedly realizing that he was gaining weight again. If the Bills can’t trust him to do something that is fundamental to every athlete (taking care of their body), then how can anybody trust him?
Now, Williams’s credentials on the field are established, because he was one of the league’s most efficient rushers in 2015. Not only did the Florida State product average 5.6 yards per carry as a rookie, but he also scored nine total touchdowns on just 104 touches.
That’s the kind of production the Colts need. Last year, the Colts were second-to-last in the NFL with 3.6 yards per carry, and they finished 29th in total rushing yards. Interestingly enough, the second-leading rusher in attempts for the Colts was Ahmad Bradshaw, who had a whopping 31 carries.
Unfortunately, Williams might not solve the Colts short-term depth problem at running back, because there’s a chance he won’t be able to play in 2016. Williams’s weight reportedly ballooned to 261 at one point this offseason, which is almost unbelievable, given that his playing weight was at around 230 in the previous season.
As some of you may know, it isn’t as simple as dieting off the fat or doing some P90X garbage, though the media loves to eat those stories up. For Williams to lose that weight effectively, he has to do it slowly, otherwise he will lose too much strength, hurting his performance on the field. Depending on where he is at now– and the fact that he gained weight again recently makes it all that much worse– it could take him a long time to get that goal. See, it’s easy to put on fat, but it’s a lot harder to lose it without losing a notable amount of strength.
Even so, Williams is worth at least examining in the Colts situation. Even long-term, it doesn’t seem like they have a good option behind Gore. Sure, it isn’t hard to find a back, but right now, Williams is as cheap of an investment as they come, and it’s easier to develop healthy nutrition habits than it is to, say, kick a drug habit. That said, he was suspended four games for breaking the league’s substance-abuse policy, so maybe that’s another issue here.
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Whatever the case, the risk is minimal, and the Colts could start thinking about life after Gore or, at least, show interest in a future partner. Williams did an excellent job either working with LeSean McCoy or starring in the lead back’s absence, and if anyone makes sense as a landing spot, it would be Indianapolis. I doubt he does anything in 2015 due to his weight issues, which scared off every team from signing a young RB coming off of a great season, but making the gutsy (not financially, though) move to sign him now could potentially pay off later for the Colts.