Ryan Williams Sees Opportunity in Unclear Dallas Backfield

With DeMarco Murray gone, the door is wide open for the running backs on the Dallas Cowboys roster, and Ryan Williams is hoping to make the most of the opportunity that this uncertainty at the position presents.

“I think everybody will have a great chance to show what they can do, and it’ll go from there,” Williams told the team’s official website. “I never had a chance to run behind that O-Line last year, so hopefully I get an opportunity this year and I think that’ll help my chances showing everybody what I’m really capable of doing.”

In his first season with the Cowboys last year, Williams led the team in rushing in the preseason before finding himself among the team’s final cuts in late August. He was brought back as a member of the practice squad, where he spent the entire 2014 season. This offseason, the team brought him back with a two-year reserve/futures contract.

For Williams, it’s been a rocky four years in the NFL. He came into the league in 2011 with the Cardinals, as a second round pick out of Virginia Tech. But his rookie season ended before it really started when he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the preseason of that year. He came back in 2012 only to suffer a season-ending shoulder injury, and didn’t see a carry with the Cardinals in 2013.

That means two full seasons have passed since Williams had an official attempt in the NFL, but he’s confident he’s ready to make the most out of whatever opportunity he’s afforded.

“(The knee injury) changed my life,” Williams said, “but I’m still here, and I honestly feel like I’m better than I was before.”