The Arizona Cardinals signed running back Darrel Williams to a one-year contract Tuesday, giving them a veteran replacement for Chase Edmonds to pair with James Conner in their backfield for the 2022 season.
Financial terms of Williams’ contract were not disclosed.
Edmonds and Conner were both unrestricted free agents this offseason. While Conner re-signed with the Cardinals on a three-year, $21 million contract, Edmonds left Arizona to sign a two-year, $12.1 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
The Cardinals’ depth chart at running back also includes Keaontay Ingram, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, and Eno Benjamin.
Williams was the leading rusher for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2021 season while competing for carries with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon. He finished the regular season with 558 yards and six touchdowns, but a toe injury kept him from contributing much during the playoffs.
The powerful back also showed his versatility, catching 47 passes for 452 yards — which tied for fifth among NFL running backs — and two touchdowns.
Williams, 27, joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and played sparingly his rookie season, but he began to emerge in 2019, when he had 308 yards from scrimmage, and in 2020, when he led the team in the postseason with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals released running back Jaylen Samuels on Tuesday when Williams was added to the roster.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com