Williams trying to stick at RB with Steelers
PITTSBURGH – The old saying claims it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog that matters.
Steelers running back Trey Williams lives by that mantra.
The diminutive Williams, who stands just 5-7 and weighs 200 pounds, might not be the biggest running back at Steelers training camp. But he makes up for his overall lack of size with an ability to make defenders miss him and lightning-quick speed.
He’s also not afraid to pop the pads as he’s shown several times already at Saint Vincent College.
The Steelers do more live tackling in camp than most NFL teams and Williams hasn’t backed down from it. When he gets hit hard, it only seems to get him more motivated. Last week when he was sandwiched by a pair of safeties, he immediately hopped up, spiked the ball and screamed, “Let’s go.”
When you’ve taken the career path Williams has to get to Pittsburgh, you’re not going to allow anything to stop you.
“You have to prove yourself each time,” the former Texas A&M star said. “Nobody knows who you are – some guys might have played against in college – you have to prove yourself each and every day, learning that playbook. It’s a challenge. But I’m with it. This is the game that I love. I give it my all.”
The Steelers are Williams’ sixth different team since he left Texas A&M.
His journey began in 2015 after he went undrafted and was signed by the Redskins, who released him in their final cuts and signed to their practice squad. The Cowboys signed him off Washington’s practice squad later in the season, only to release him a couple of weeks later. Then, it was on to New England’s practice squad. Then Miami. Finally, he was signed by the Colts and appeared in two games, carrying the ball twice for 12 yards.
And that was just in the 2015 season.
With veteran backup DeAngelo Williams not re-signed, starter Le’Veon Bell still not in training camp and rookie James Conner hurt much of the offseason and into training camp, Trey Williams has gotten plenty of work.
Fitzgerald Toussaint and Knile Davis have provided the veteran presence in the group, but each of them has bounced around the league.
“You have to keep that faith in your ability,” said Toussaint. “We have a talented group.”
Still, few have taken the path here like Williams.
Look up journeyman in the dictionary and you’ll see his picture. He’s now been with nearly a quarter of the teams in the league. But he’s also still in demand.
“Me being cut and the numbers game, that’s the business,” said Williams, a schoolboy legend in Texas, where he rushed for more than 8,000 yards. “I’m just overcoming it, really. It’s making me better. I feel I have a great fit here with the Steelers. I wouldn’t want to be with any other organization.
“Those teams missed out. I’m here now. That’s the beautiful part of it. I’m with the Pittsburgh Steelers and I’m going to give them my all.”
The Steelers signed Williams, who averaged more than 6.5 yards per carry and 25 yards per kick return at Texas A&M, in February after he spent the 2016 season out of football.
He was gone but not forgotten.
And he had a good reason to put football on the backburner. His father, Phillip, underwent a fourth surgery to remove a cyst from his brain that was affecting his eyesight. While on the operating table, he suffered a stroke.
The elder Williams is still alive, but his recovery was a process – much like that of his son’s journey to stick on an NFL roster.
“Him going through that and still being alive, lets me know what kind of blood I have in me,” Williams said. “It just shows me that if he has that dog in him, I know I have that dog, too. That motivates me.”
Linebacker James Harrison was a limited participant Sunday night as the Steelers practiced at Heinz Field for their first Family Fest. Harrison and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came out of the tunnels when the team was announced wearing the other’s jersey. … Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva left practice after being banged up during the goal-line drill to end practice. … Among those not practicing were defensive end Stephon Tuitt, defensive backs Senquez Golson, Mike Mitchell, Cameron Sutton and Artie Burns and linebackers Bud Dupree and Keion Adams. … Attendance at the Family Fest was 17,119. … The Steelers are off Monday before returning to practice Tuesday at Saint Vincent College. The 3 p.m. session is open to the public.