Preston Williams

Preston Williams
No. 76 – Montreal Alouettes
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1997-03-27) March 27, 1997 (age 27)
Lovejoy, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Lovejoy (GA)
College:Tennessee (2015–2016)
Colorado State (2017–2018)
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-MWC (2018)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:56
Receiving yards:787
Receiving touchdowns:7
Return yards:115
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Preston Terrance Williams (born March 27, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Colorado State. He has played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.

Early years

Williams attended Lovejoy High School in Lovejoy, Georgia.[1] At Lovejoy, Williams was the 2013 Georgia High School Association champion in the long jump.[2] He committed to the University of Tennessee to play college football and track and field.[3]

College career

Williams played at Tennessee for two seasons from 2015 to 2016.[4] He recorded 16 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns over that time.[5] He transferred to Colorado State University in 2017.[6][7] After sitting out the 2017 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Williams had 96 receptions for 1,345 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2018.[8] He led the Mountain West Conference in receptions and receiving yards and finished second in receiving touchdowns.[9] After the 2018 season, he entered the 2019 NFL draft, forgoing his senior season.[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 4+1⁄4 in
(1.94 m) 		211 lb
(96 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.61 s 1.65 s 2.77 s 4.35 s 7.11 s 31.5 in
(0.80 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
All values from Colorado State’s Pro Day[11][12]

Miami Dolphins

Williams signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2019.[13] He made the final 53-man roster. He made his NFL debut in the Dolphins' 2019 season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. In the 59–10 loss, he had three receptions for 24 yards and his first professional touchdown.[14] In Week 9, Williams had five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the 26–18 win over the New York Jets. However in the game, Williams left the game with a knee injury, and was diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his rookie season.[15][16] He finished the season with 32 catches for 428 yards and three touchdowns as the team's leading receiver at the time of his injury.[17]

In Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, Williams recorded four catches for 108 yards and a 32-yard touchdown reception during the 43–17 win.[18] On November 11, 2020, Williams was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.[19] In the 2020 season, Williams appeared in eight games and recorded 18 receptions for 288 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[20]

In the 2021 season, Williams had six receptions for 71 yards in eight games and three starts.[21]

On March 15, 2022, Williams signed a one-year contract extension with the Dolphins.[22] He was waived on August 30, 2022.[23]

Carolina Panthers

On September 5, 2022, Williams signed with the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.[24] He was signed to the active roster on January 7, 2023.[25] He appeared in the team's Week 18 game against the New Orleans Saints, but only saw two offensive snaps and was not targeted. On May 18, Williams was released by Carolina.[26]

DC Defenders

On December 14, 2023, Williams was signed by the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL).[27][28] He was waived on March 5, 2024.[29]

Montreal Alouettes

On May 3, 2024, Williams was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[30]

References

  1. ^ "Preston Williams, Lovejoy , Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. ^ "Preston Williams - Football". Colorado State Athletics. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Brown, Patrick (September 1, 2015). "'Freakish ability' helps Preston Williams make quick return". Times Free Press. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Preston Williams College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Brown, Patrick (October 13, 2016). "Preston Williams to leave Tennessee's football program". Times Free Press. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  6. ^ Brohard, Mike (April 15, 2017). "Preston Williams already making a difference for Colorado State football". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Lyell, Kelly (April 11, 2018). "Is Tennessee transfer Preston Williams the next Michael Gallup?". Coloradoan. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Brohard, Mike (December 6, 2018). "CSU football's Preston Williams exploring NFL options". Loveland Reporter-Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "2018 Mountain West Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Lyell, Kelly (December 7, 2018). "CSU's Preston Williams will skip senior season to enter NFL draft". Coloradoan. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  11. ^ "*Preston Williams, DS #48 WR, Colorado State". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Preston Williams 2019 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  13. ^ "Dolphins Sign 18 Undrafted College Free Agents". MiamiDolphins.com. May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  14. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins – September 8th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Wolfe, Cameron (November 4, 2019). "Dolphins lose top WR Preston Williams for rest of season". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Dolphins Sign Marcus Sherels, De'Lance Turner". MiamiDolphins.com. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "Preston Williams 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers – October 11th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  19. ^ Wolfe, Cameron (November 11, 2020). "Miami Dolphins WR Preston Williams heads to injured reserve with foot injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Preston Williams 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Preston Williams 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "Roster Moves: Dolphins re-sign WR Williams". MiamiDolphins.com. March 15, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  23. ^ "Dolphins make roster moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  24. ^ Gantt, Darin (September 5, 2022). "Panthers sign veteran defensive end Henry Anderson". Panthers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  25. ^ Gantt, Darin (January 7, 2023). "Panthers make roster moves before season finale". Panthers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  26. ^ "Preston Williams: Let go by Carolina". CBSSports.com. May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  27. ^ Mendel, Jacob (January 22, 2024). "Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver to play for the DC Defenders". The Phinsider. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  28. ^ Lay, Ken (January 11, 2024). "Preston Williams to play for DC in 2024". Vols Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  29. ^ "UFL Player Transactions, Tuesday March 5, 2024". UFLBoard.com. March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  30. ^ "Transactions - Football Player Trades and Signings". CFL.ca. Retrieved May 4, 2024.