Former Florida State Seminoles running back Roydell Williams will continue his professional football journey after signing with the Detroit Lions.
The Lions running back room has been decimated with injuries, and Williams adds a much-needed body at the position.
Williams presumably will back up starter Jahmyr Gibbs, who signed a three-year, $67.5 million extension with the team, and was added to Detroit’s roster after Raheem Blackshear was placed on injured reserve. Williams and Gibbs were teammates at Alabama during the 2022 season.
After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, Williams later signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. He was waived by the Colts last week, and gained four yards on three carries against the New England Patriots in last week’s preseason game.
As a transfer from Alabama, Williams played at Florida State during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. However, injuries limited Williams to 11 games in the garnet and gold, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns during his time in Tallahassee. Williams was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2020 national championship team.
The 2023 season with the Tide was his best season, as he rushed for 560 yards and five touchdowns. Against USF that season, Williams rushed for a season-high 129 yards and a touchdown in a 17-3 victory.
A top 100 high school recruit and No. 9 running back nationally by 247 Sports, Williams rushed for almost 6,000 yards as a prep star at Hueytown High School. Alabama coach Nick Saban sent assistant coach Charles Huff to make the recruiting pitch that would bring the No. 5 overall prospect in the state to Tuscaloosa.
The scouting report on Williams showed he was physically gifted for the position, having spent a lot of time in the weight room. The scouting report on Williams showed he was projected as a power five starter in college and an early to middle round draft pick.
That scouting report proved to be inaccurate.
Once at Alabama, Williams shared carries with Jase McClellan in 2023, and was relegated as a backup on the depth chart behind Gibbs in 2022, Brian Robinson Jr. in 2021, and Najee Harris in 2020. That prompted Williams to enter the transfer portal in 2024, landing at Florida State.
Williams was part of a Florida State rushing attack in 2024 that gained only 1,079 yards and scored just eight rushing touchdowns in 12 games. For his part, Williams added 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, Williams rushed for just 46 yards and no touchdowns, and averaged just a little over three yards per carry for a Seminoles team that was the No. 1 rushing offense in the ACC.
The NFL final cut-down deadline has been moved up to Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET. With the Lions franchise desperate for depth at the running back position, it remains to be seen if Williams survives the cut-down to the 53-man roster mandated by the NFL, or is one of those let go in the roster reduction.