Bleeding Green Nation
Falcons perspective on Philadelphia’s offseason wide receiver/return specialist addition.
Who is Avery Williams and how does he fit with the Philadelphia Eagles?
Let’s learn more about this free agent addition by getting an Atlanta Falcons perspective on him. Here’s what Dave Choate of The Falcoholic had to say about Williams through answers to my questions.
Avery Williams had quite the career with Atlanta. He started out as a returner and cornerback, appearing in 15 games and making one start in his rookie season and piling up a couple of fumble recoveries, a pass deflection, and three quarterback hits. The team then switched him to running back, and in 2022 he had 22 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown, as well as a career-best and league-best 16.2 yards per punt return.
Unfortunately, a torn ACL in June 2023 cost him the entire season, and Williams didn’t look quite as explosive as a returner in 2024. He still averaged a solid 9.3 yards per punt and 27.2 yards per kick, but he had no touches on offense last season. The Falcons looked at his declining role and production as a punt returner and apparently didn’t view him as a priority re-signing.
I think some gadget usage is worth exploring for Williams, though his bread and butter is return work and special teams, punts in particular. I’m optimistic he’ll be in a better spot two full years removed from his ACL injury, and prior to that he was a slippery runner (https://www.atlantafalcons.com/video/avery-williams-slips-through-bucs-d-on-way-to-8-yard-td) with good balance and vision in the rare instances where the Falcons gave him the ball. I pushed for the team to use him more frequently on screens than they ultimately ever did, and perhaps he could partially fill the niche vacated by Kenneth Gainwell. The Falcons did give him a little work with the wide receiver group in the spring of 2023 before he suffered his injury.
That said, his primary value is still going to be on special teams. If he’s permanently lost some of the explosiveness that made him such a threat in 2022, Williams is still a savvy option as a returner and should be an asset for the Eagles there.
*His strengths are definitely his vision and elusiveness. Moving Williams to running back in the pros was a natural move because he can be absolutely deadly in the open field, as he excels at evading would-be tacklers and finding the creases opened up by blocking. If you can create avenues for Williams, he can take full advantage of them and leave defenders in the dirt. He’s also an extremely willing and capable special teamer all the way around, as he was tied for the team lead in tackles last season and drew frequent...
