Last week, I wrote that Kyle Williams has been one of the biggest disappointments for the New England Patriots this season. This is what I wrote:
"Nobody is expecting Williams to be the new Randy Moss, but he has still been a huge disappointment, given his promising preseason performance and the opportunities he has in front of him."
"Williams doesn't even need to be a No. 2 or No. 3 guy in New England's system right now. But as it stands, he's not even good enough to be a No. 4 or No. 5 guy, and that could be a big problem."
I'm not going to take back what I said. I still feel like, at the time, Williams had been a massive disappointment, given his strong preseason, overall talent/potential, and the opportunity he had in front of him.
Still, I need to give credit where credit is due: Williams was incredible in New England's 45-17 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, and I'm excited to see where he goes from here.
Kyle Williams finally showed up for the Patriots
In the win, the Baltimore native caught all three of his targets for 91 yards (career high) and a touchdown. It was a lot more of the same for Williams; just put him on a go route and see what he can do. He may be a one-trick pony right now, but that one trick can be lethal.
There's a lot to like about Williams. He is explosive, speedy, athletic, and he already has elite release skills. He's a big-play receiver, and for someone like Drake Maye, who is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL, the Washington State alum can be a real asset for the long haul (well, as long as he continues developing and becomes at least a two-trick pony).
With A.J. Brown potentially coming back next week, there likely won't be many more opportunities for Williams to thrive this season, unless New England gets creative (I like the idea of utilizing him on end arounds or jet sweeps because of his speed and explosiveness; even though he wouldn't be able to show off his release skills, it would be a great way for him to make an impact while hiding his route-running limitations). But at least he was able to show something that the Patriots can build upon.
Williams is incredibly talented, and I genuinely believe he can become a real weapon in New England. He still has a ton of room to grow, but the potential is there. Hopefully for the former third-round pick, this was the confidence boost he needed to take that next step and prove that he should be a real part of the Patriots' offense, even after they get the three-time All-Pro receiver back on the field.
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