Who Should I Start? Duke Johnson or Jamaal Williams

Sunday, May 5, 1:51 PM

Running back Duke Johnson announced his retirement from professional football on Sunday. Johnson was originally taken in the third round (77th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 NFL draft out of Miami. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns before spending two years with the Houston Texans. Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and the Buffalo Bills in the final year of his career in 2022. The 30-year-old wraps up his career having recorded 2,265 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 532 carries, adding 311 catches on 405 targets for 2,870 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns in 97 games (21 starts) covering eight seasons. Johnson had a career-high 410 rushing yards on 83 attempts in his first year in Houston in 2019.

Tuesday, March 4, 5:13 PM

The New Orleans Saints released running back Jamaal Williams on Tuesday, according to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. The move comes after Williams' worst season as a pro in 2024 in his second year with the Saints. The 29-year-old was rarely used behind starter Alvin Kamara and finished with a career-low 48 rushing attempts for 164 yards and one touchdown while adding only nine receptions for 57 yards on 11 targets in 14 games (one start). Williams had a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022 in his final year with the Detroit Lions but averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, 470 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his 27 games (five starts) in two seasons with the Saints. He's unlikely to garner a ton of interest on the open market in free agency this offseason and will almost certainly have to settle for a depth role at RB wherever he signs.