Falcons RB Avery Williams OUT for 2023 After Knee Injury; What's Next?

Avery Williams' torn ACL will cost him the 2023 season. What will the Atlanta Falcons do next?

Jeremy Brener | Jun 7, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons' running back room is losing a little bit of depth today.

According to sources, Avery Williams has suffered a knee injury that will require season-ending surgery.

"We love Avery," head coach Arthur Smith said via team reporter Scott Bair. "He has the right mindset and we expect him to come back ready to roll."

Williams, who turns 25 next month, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft as a defensive back. However, last year, Williams made the switch to running back and was prominent on special teams as a return man.

Williams was seen as a fourth running back behind Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley, but given how much the Falcons prioritize the ground game, he was viewed as a key contributor.

Williams ran the ball 22 times for 109 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 13 passes for 61 yards.

With the addition of Bijan Robinson, Williams wasn't expected to make much noise on the ground this year. However, he was supposed to compete for the return specialist job, something he did well with throughout his career. He has returned 38 punts and 39 kicks for the Falcons in the past two seasons.

Now that Williams is out for the season, a new return specialist will have to step up. Luckily for Atlanta, Patterson is one of the league's greatest return specialists of all time, scoring a league-record nine touchdowns on kickoffs during his career. It's possible that Patterson could assume that role again or someone else in camp can step up to take the reins.

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Published Jun 7, 2023

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.