DeAngelo Williams may be 34 years old — ancient for an NFL running back — but he’s not slowing down. After making his in-ring debut at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary, he’s embraced his heelish tendencies by running down the four teams for which he refuses to play in 2017.
DeAngelo Williams has 3 teams he won’t play for in 2017, including the Cowboys
All the Panthers had to do to get back on his good side was fire their GM.
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
If the Cowboys, Browns, or Jaguars were looking for a veteran backup runner this fall, they’re out of luck. The Panthers were on his “no” list as well — at least until they made a personnel move that got Carolina back in Williams’ good graces.
The veteran runner gave his reasons for writing each team off his wish list. Cleveland and Jacksonville missed the cut thanks to their reputations as league bottom-feeders. Dallas and Carolina needed a bit more explanation.
”The Cowboys, they win. They just don’t ever show up during the playoffs. They always disappear in the playoffs,” Williams told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on his Know Them From Adam podcast. “I’ve got a great depiction of the Cowboys’ fan base. During the regular season last year, they were on cloud nine. You couldn’t tell them anything because they were going to win the ’ship -- that’s all they said. Fans just got extremely super annoying. Then, the minute they lose, they either got cheated, somebody was hurt -- the excuses start flowing. It’s just amazing to me. That fan base just in general can’t handle defeat. Still, to this day, they say that the Dez Bryant catch against the Green Bay Packers was a catch!”
He originally ran down the Panthers as well, the team for whom he’d gained 1,515 rushing yards and scored 20 total touchdowns in 2008.
“I had no problems with getting fired, but there are things that went on there that I didn’t like -- and I still don’t like to this day. There’s no point in me going back there. You’re an ex for a reason, right? You don’t go back to exes, and that’s just where I’m at there.”
However, now that former general manager Dave Gettleman has been jettisoned, he’s open to a return — even though Carolina may not have a spot for him after drafting Christian McCaffrey this spring.
Williams proved himself as a capable backup in his last two seasons with the Steelers, spelling Le’Veon Bell and making spot starts when the star tailback was either injured or suspended. However, his 2016 season was one of his worst as a pro. He averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per carry for Pittsburgh and appeared in only nine games.
Both Carolina and Dallas should be able to get by without his services. The Cowboys have 2016 All-Pro and Offensive Rookie of the Year Ezekiel Elliott at the top of their depth chart in front of veterans Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris. The Panthers added Christian McCaffrey with the No. 8 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft and still have Williams’ old platoon-mate Jonathan Stewart on the roster.
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