Darrel Williams (born April 15, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

. He was signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

Early life

Williams was a four-star recruit coming out of John Ehret High School in Marrero, Louisiana; he amassed 2,036 yards and had 27

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

in his senior year. He originally committed to play college football for

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

, but after a running back spot opened up at

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, he was recruited by head coach

Les Miles Leslie Edwin Miles (born November 10, 1953) is a former American football coach. He most recently served as the head coach at Kansas. His head coaching career began with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he coached from 2001 to 2004. Following t ...

to play for them. He decided to flip his commitment to LSU over offers from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, among others.

College career

In Williams's freshman season at LSU, he joined a four-player

rotation. On October 1, 2016, against

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, he had 21 carries for 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns. As a senior, he played in 13 games, starting four, while serving as the primary backup to

Derrius Guice Derrius Guice ( ; born June 21, 1997) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the LSU Tigers football, LSU Tigers, where he was the first player in Southeastern Conference (SEC ...

. On October 21, 2017, against

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

, he became the first player in LSU history to record at least 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game. After the conclusion of LSU's 2017 season, Williams accepted an invitation to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl. Williams was named one of LSU’s two team MVPs (along with linebacker Devin White) at the conclusion of his senior season in 2017. He finished his career with 1,651 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, along with 38 receptions for 462 yards.

College statistics

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

After going undrafted in the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

, Williams was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2018. He totaled 13 carries for 44 rushing yards and three receptions for 27 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in his rookie season. In Week 4 of the 2019 season against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, Williams rushed eight times for 13 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 43 yards in the 34–30 win. Williams was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on December 5, 2019, with a hamstring injury. He finished the season with 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 15 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown through 12 games. During his absence, the Chiefs went on to win

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...

, their first championship in 50 years. In the 2020 season, Williams finished the season with 39 carries for 169 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with 18 receptions for 116 receiving yards. He earned the start for the Divisional Round against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

due to an injury to Clyde Edwards-Helaire. In the game, Williams rushed for 78 yards and caught 4 passes for 16 yards in the 22–17 win. In the

American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...

Championship against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Williams rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown during the 38–24 win. He played in

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

, but only recorded 15 total scrimmage yards in the 31–9 loss to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. Williams signed a one-year contract extension with the Chiefs on March 16, 2021. Williams finished the 2021 season with a career high 558 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 452 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Arizona Cardinals

On May 31, 2022, Williams signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

on a one-year contract. He was placed on injured reserve on November 2. On November 14, 2022, backup running back Eno Benjamin was released, making Williams and rookie running back Keontay Ingram the backups.

New Orleans Saints

On August 15, 2023, Williams signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He was released on August 29.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

LSU Tigers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Darrel 1995 births Living people American football running backs Arizona Cardinals players John Ehret High School alumni Kansas City Chiefs players LSU Tigers football players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Marrero, Louisiana