Last December, the Cincinnati Bengals hinted that this could be coming: Ke’Shawn Williams arrived via waivers and looked like a threat to steal a return job from the likes of Charlie Jones.
That time is now. Williams is on the final roster and Jones is not, with Bengals coaches like Zac Taylor not pausing much when asked about the situation.
"I think that goes back to last season, the faith. I saw him do it live in games. So he did a great job there," Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. "He made some plays as a receiver this training camp, and I just think he is a valuable weapon to have, however it shakes out, whatever his role ends up being for us on game day. He earned the opportunity, so it was good to keep him out there.
"
Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said similar things back in July when the competition was really first getting going in camp. Clearly, the happenings on the field aligned with these thoughts.
The fact Williams can help in the base offense is a boon, but more helpful to his cause is probably the fact the Bengals have kept digging deeper into lining up tight ends like Mike Gesicki and even running backs as third wideouts in some formations.
Not that Williams will go unchallenged. Training camp breakout Dohnte Meyers is right there as an option too and he’s had some work on returns. Wideout is certainly one of those spots with some excess right now, so Williams will need to keep proving the coaches right throughout the season.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ Zac Taylor explains one of the complex final cuts decisions
