Jamaal Williams hasn’t received an NFL commit since January 2025. The New England Patriots just gave him a reason to keep working out.
The NFL’s 2022 rushing touchdowns leader was one of five free agents who worked out for New England on Tuesday in Foxboro, 98.5 The Sports Hub reportedciting NFL insider Ari Meirov. No signings had been reported as of Tuesday night.
Timing is not a coincidence. Led behind Rhamondre Stevenson limped off with about a minute left on Sunday 29-26 win over Buffaloand coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that Stevenson would not practice.
However, the door is not closed on Sunday. “There’s a chance he could play,” Vrabel said, per Patriots Wire.
Behind Stevenson, the Patriots (2-2) have only TreVeyon Henderson and Corey Kiner on the active roster, with Lan Larison on the practice squad. New England also had two open spots on their roster after releasing edge rusher Jose Ramirez on Tuesday, and hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
If Williams gets another shot, it will come four years after the best season of his career. In 2022, his second year in Detroit, he ran for 1,066 yards and an NFL-high 17 touchdowns. breaking Barry Sanders’ Lions record from 16
He put it in Lambeau Field, of all places. Williams scored twice against his former team in the regular season finale, helping the Lions eliminate the Packers from playoff contention. He then gave one of the most memorable post-game interviews of the year, breaking down in tears as he dedicated the night to his late great-grandfather, before turning to doubters and telling them “don’t play with us”.
That season was the most remarkable in a career built on reliability. A fourth-round pick out of BYU in 2017, Williams led the Packers in rushing as a rookie and spent four years under Aaron Jones in Green Bay before signing with Detroit in 2021.
The 2022 promotion earned him a three-year, $12 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, but he managed just 470 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two seasons there before being released in March 2025. He still scored at least one rushing touchdown in all eight of his NFL seasons and has 4,122 career rushing yards and 32 touchdowns.
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Williams worked out for the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins in August 2025, but remained unsigned and sat out the entire season.
He has been knocking on doors ever since. Last month, Williams reached out to Lions coach Dan Campbell about a reunion, according to the Detroit Free Press reported. Campbell told him Detroit was determined to bounce back for now, but would keep him in mind.
Now, at 31, he’s waiting to see if New England calls.
