Eagles Offseason Gadget Talk Rarely Pans Out

It’s an offseason tradition unlike any other.

Hype up the gadget player, and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni couldn’t resist doing it with one of the team’s offseason additions in returner Avery Williams.

Ostensibly signed to a one-year deal as a potential all-encompassing returner to replace Britain Covey on punt returns and the duo of Kenny Gainwell and Isaiah Rodgers on kickoffs, the speedy Williams was originally a fifth-round pick of Atlanta out of Boise State as a cornerback.

Ultimately, the Falcons got a hold of the 5-foot-9, 200-pound, two-time Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year and decided he was better with the ball in his hands and shifted him to running back.

Of course, with Bijan Robinson arriving in 2023 to supplement Tyler Allgeier, who arrived to the Falcons a year earlier, Atlanta had one of the deepest RB rooms in the NFL and Williams hasn’t touched the football from the line of scrimmage since 2022.

Sirianni hinted that could change at the NFL’s annual meeting this week in South Florida. 

“We’ll see how that goes. We still have some time to figure it out,” Sirianni said. “...  I’m excited with all he can bring with his versatility offensively – yes, offensively – and all the things he can do. “

It’s hard to imagine this being anything more than offseason talk where X’s and O’s can dance through a coach's mind with unique players.

In the case of Williams, his 4.43 speed and ability in space can be intoxicating but the Eagles aren’t exactly going to take Saquon Barkley off the field much at RB and when they do, it would be for either Will Shipley and/or another free-agent signing in A.J. Dillon.

Even as a pure manufactured tough player, Williams would have to first prove he’s more of a realistic option than 2024 fifth-round pick Ainias Smith, who essentially redshirted last season after a poor training camp but has receiver/RB experience from Texas A&M.

The same issues apply for the talented Eagles at WR. If a player like Williams or Smith is on the field, that means A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, or Jahan Dotson isn’t, So, the opportunities are not exactly going to be plentiful.

Then there is the tendency problem. If Williams is on the field to occasionally run a jet sweep, orbit motion, a reverse, or a bubble screen, opposing defenses are going to sniff that out pretty quickly.

Williams’ ability in space is fun to think about on paper in the spring but it rarely translates, and the Sirianni-era Eagles don’t have a history of utilizing manufactured-touch players well. 

Conversely, Williams returned six punts for touchdowns at Boise State and three kickoffs. His nine total return TDs tied the NCAA record, and he’s topped out in the NFL at over 16.0 yards per punt return in 2022 and 27.0 per kickoff return last season.

Special teams, where Williams also has experience as a gunner, is the wheelhouse here.

“The things he brings to special teams is huge,” Sirianni said. “...My interaction with him was top notch and I’m really excited to start working with him.”