Could Falcons RB Avery Williams Return to CB with Secondary Injuries?

Atlanta Falcons running back Avery Williams was a cornerback last season. With several injuries devastating the position, could he return to the defense?

Two-way football players are rare beyond the youth and high school football levels. Even in college, not many players will play on both sides of the ball, thanks to the 85-scholarship limit that keeps rosters full. 

So when people talk about an NFL player potentially playing both ways, it should sound alarm bells that it isn't a common occurrence. Well, that rarity of a situation almost occurred last Sunday for the Atlanta Falcons. 

During his press conference, Arthur Smith revealed that he was "very close" to playing Avery Williams at defensive back. 

"I thought I was going to put him in there in the San Fran game to end it ... Had he gone in at corner - which we practiced him in at camp," as Smith would go on to say if Williams saw snaps at cornerback this past Sunday, "he would've been a kick returner, punt returner, punt protector, covered kicks, played receiver, played running back; if he had to go in there and play defensive back, that's a pretty valuable roster spot."

Even considering putting Williams in the game at corner tells you how bad the situation was for the Falcons at cornerback during their game against the San Francisco 49ers. Atlanta lost three of its top cornerbacks, A.J. Terrell, Casey Hayward, and Isaiah Oliver, to injuries against the Niners, leaving them without many other options.

Hayward is projected to be out for the foreseeable future. At the same time, Terrell is week-to-week with his hamstring injury. If the crisis strikes again, Williams is an option, albeit an emergency one, but one nonetheless. 

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You can follow Harrison Reno on Twitter @HarrisonReno

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