Arizona Cardinals: Starting receiver should be on his way out after a receiver-heavy draft
By Avery Duncan
2018 starter Chad Williams may have played his last down for the Arizona Cardinals months ago.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted three wide receivers in the NFL draft, three. They are the only team in modern NFL history to draft that many receivers after drafting a quarterback at No. 1 overall. Which each of these receivers thought of a potential or even day-one starters, the end of Chad Williams in the desert looks near.
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Williams has been disappointing since being drafted at No. 98 overall in the 2017 draft. Although the Grambling State product brings speed to the table, he hasn’t shown he can much more.
In ’18, Williams was pressed into starting duties, but he didn’t respond accordingly. In the ten games he played (seven starts), the receiver caught 37.0% of his targets for a grand total of 17 receptions for 171 yards and one touchdown. Even worse, he dropped passes in key moments, per PlayerProfiler.com, Williams had a drop rate of 4.3%.
In his rookie season, Williams caught just three passes for 31 yards.
It’s hard to see where Williams would fit on the current receiving core. Teams, at most, typically carry eight receivers on their 53-man roster. Currently, the Cardinals are expected to take these eight receivers into next season;
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Christian Kirk
- Kevin White
- Damiere Byrd
- Pharoh Cooper
- Andy Isabella
- Hakeem Butler
- KeeSean Johnson
Although there could be a surprise cut, such as Byrd, Cooper, or White, Williams would again have to compete with a fair share of receivers, including undrafted free agents, to make the roster. Those receivers could be any of the following;
- Trent Sherfield
- Jalen Tolliver
- Malachi Dupre
- Mitchell Bryant
- A.J. Richardson (UDFA)
- Micah White (UDFA)
That new-found depth at wide receiver signifies one thing for Williams; he’s going to have an uphill battle to make the team. Couple their additions with Williams disappointing tenure in the desert, and it’s pretty hard to find a roster spot for him.
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If the Cardinals do release Williams, they would be off the hook for about $500 thousand and would incur a dead cap penalty of around $400 thousand, per Over The Cap.