Los Angeles Chargers: Mike Williams about to get his chance

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams will slide into a bigger role following an injury to another player. He’s about to get his chance to succeed.

11 catches, 95 yards, no touchdowns. Bust. That’s what they call a player with those numbers when they’re the seventh overall selection in a given NFL Draft. From the 2017 class, that “bust” was Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams.

Those stats aren’t from one game, but rather an entire season. In a year marred by injuries and drops, many questioned if general manager Tom Telesco had made a grave mistake selecting the pass-catcher out of Clemson.

Fast-forward to the team’s 2018 training camp, and Williams was lined up against Pro-Bowl corner Casey Hayward. Touchdown. A week later, he caught a jump ball in the end zone, beating tight coverage. Touchdown.

Suddenly, the routes made more sense, and the game wasn’t so big after all — especially true when you’re a 6-3, 205-pound phenomenon. Fans started to believe, the quarterbacks began to trust him, and most importantly, Williams started to know he can do this. Now, it’s his time to shine.

Week 1 wasn’t a breakout game, but five receptions for 81 yards and a 16.2 yards per catch average was almost better than his entire rookie season. If it came near him in the loss to Kansas City, he caught it. And when he caught it, he made defenders pay for it, bruising along for more yards after the catch.

Williams, along with Pro-Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen, were the most reliable pass catchers on the team. In a game where peers Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin dropped or missed four huge passes (three of them potential touchdowns), No. 81 was about as consistent as he could be.

Now Benjamin, according to ESPN’s Eric Williams, is wearing a walking boot and not practicing. The speedster, scheduled to make over $5 million dollars in base salary this year and once more in 2019, is about to concede his starting position to the budding confidence and play of Mike Williams. Williams, in a similar fashion to Allen’s own ascension back in 2013, will take over for the injured player in front of him and never look back.

Bust? It’s still possible. But he’s about to get his chance to show the world he’s anything but one.