Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
‘That guy can be special’
Williams makes case to move up the wide receiver depth chart
DAVIE — Josh Rosen read the defense before the snap, noticed that the Miami Dolphins were in a unflattering scheme, and checked himself into a more aggressive play.
The Dolphins’ second-year quarterback looked at Preston Williams and called a hot route, checking the 6-foot-5, 218-pound undrafted receiver into a deep pattern.
“He signaled me to go, so I ran a go-route. He threw it up, trusted me [and I] came down with it,” Williams said, describing the 42-yard reception he pulled in during Saturday’s scrimmage, where he put together a performance that could earn him a promotion up the depth chart.
Williams caught five passes from Rosen, and produced more than 100-yards receiving in Miami’s situational scrimmage. His performance was so impressive it had his teammates projecting a bright future for the former fivestar recruit, who ran into some problems in college, which included an arrest for domestic battery.
Williams’ past, and the fact he only had one season of productivity at Colorado State after transferring over from the University of Tennessee, inspired one of his Dolphins teammates to make a bold prediction about him.
“That guy can be special,” cornerback Xavien Howard said of Williams, who he has sparingly covered in practice. “He’s still learning. He’s just a rookie. [There] is so much room for improvement with him, but he’s going to be a number one receiver one day.”
Williams practiced well during the offseason, but he’s had a quiet start to camp until Saturday, where he teamed up with Rosen to produce the best day of training camp for both.
“He’s got a ton of potential. He’s an unbelievable athlete. He’s got a great attitude. He works really hard, and I think he’s got a really high ceiling,” said Rosen, who has responded admirably since coach Brian Flores acknowledged he’d been getting outperformed by Ryan Fitzpatrick in their battle for the starting quarterback job. “It’s just about how hard he works, and I’m right there in the boat with him.”
Rosen and Williams have history together going back to their days as high school standouts. They were teammates at a Nike camp 7-on-7 tournament, and it was there the two first started developing a bond and building chemistry.
“We work at practice, after practice,” Williams said, explaining his relationship with Rosen. “We’re trying to get a connection.”
Williams, who trained with Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall at Fit-speed in Weston this summer, has his sights set on making it onto the Dolphins’ 53-man regular-season roster.
To do so the Dolphins will either need to keep six receivers, which is possible considering this team’s shortage of overall talent, or he’ll need to outshine both Brice Butler and Allen Hurns, two veterans battling for one of the final receiver spots.
Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant are viewed as locks to make the 53-man roster, and Williams has been given opportunity to showcase himself while Wilson and Grant have been brought along slowly after suffering season-ending injuries last season.
Williams’ fate will likely be determined by how he performs during the upcoming exhibition games, which kicks off Thursday night for the Dolphins against the Atlanta Falcons inside Hard Rock Stadium, and how many roles he can manage on special teams.
“I just come work every day,” said Williams, who caught 96 passes for 1,345 yards and scored 14 touchdowns during his junior season at Colorado State. “Today, tomorrow, the next day — I’ve just got to keep grinding.”