Why Did Falcons Move Avery Williams to Running Back?

You don't see a player change their position every day.

Jeremy Brener | May 30, 2022

It's not very common to see an NFL player switch positions after just one season in the league, but that's what went down last week when the Atlanta Falcons announced that 2021 fifth-round pick Avery Williams would move from cornerback to running back.

Avery Williams

Jeremy McNichols

Tyler Allgeier

Williams didn't play much in the secondary during his rookie year, but played most of his snaps on special teams as a return specialist.

But the move is more puzzling given how the team is currently built.

The team didn't change much at cornerback this offseason, apart from signing Casey Hayward to a free agent contract. Hayward did leap over Williams in the depth chart, but there wasn't any cornerbacks in the team's draft class, leaving the second-year pro an opportunity to compete for a backup spot alongside fellow 2021 draft pick Darren Hall among others.

At running back, the team underwent a number of changes. Out went veteran Mike Davis, but in came Damien Williams from the Chicago Bears and Jeremy McNichols from the Tennessee Titans. The team also drafted BYU standout Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round. The team also has Cordarrelle Patterson and Qadree Ollison on the roster. That's five guys who could make an argument for snaps over Williams.

Cordarrelle Patterson

Damien Williams

Cordarrelle Patterson

The one thing Williams has going for him is his speed. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at his Boise State Pro Day last year and can be incredibly elusive in open space.

Maybe there's more than what meets the surface on this questionable position move, but if any team can convert a player into a running back, it's the Falcons. The team saw enormous success from Patterson last year, and maybe they're hoping some of that magic can be found with Williams.

Published May 30, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.