NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Duke Williams woke up in his hotel room near the airport and looked in the mirror. Tears streamed down his face. He was hours away from playing in his first NFL game and overcome with emotion.
Getting kicked out of Auburn, washing out of the NFL in 2016 and spending two years in the CFL and four weeks on the Bills led him to that moment. Officially, the call was made on Saturday, when the Bills announced they had promoted Williams to the 53-man roster. But he found out earlier in the week when Sean McDermott sat him down and told him the news. Hours after the announcement, Williams sat in his hotel room and ran through every play call in his head, not wanting to miss a single detail.
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The Bills didn’t call Williams up to put him on the bench. They did it to put a jolt into their inconsistent receiving corps. They did it to find an upgrade over 2017 second-round pick Zay Jones, who caught just two of his eight targets in the Week 4 loss to the Patriots. They did it to add a physical presence in a game set up to be an old-fashioned donnybrook against the defensive-minded Titans.
The game was just that. The defenses overpowered the offenses. The score was tied at 7 entering the fourth quarter, and after it started, Josh Allen drove the Bills down the field. Five plays into the drive, they covered 62 yards. Just 14 yards away from the end zone, the Bills needed somebody to finish the drive. They needed a red zone threat.
“I think the whole stadium knew where the ball was going,” safety Jordan Poyer said.
The ball was going to Williams. Allen faked a handoff and saw Williams get inside leverage on Titans cornerback Adoree Jackson. That’s all he needed to see to fire the pass to Williams for an easy touchdown.
“All I was thinking was that if I could get my hands on it, I’m coming down with it,” Williams said. “I knew it was a tie game and I saw that ball and I wasn’t letting anything stop that. Not in this moment right here. It’s crazy. It’s a feeling I can’t explain.”
Williams immediately ran toward the sideline to celebrate with his teammates. John Brown was the first to embrace him. Allen darted over with congratulations. Thousands of Bills fans in attendance screamed, “Duuuuuuuke!”
The touchdown helped put the Bills up 14-7 and proved to be the winner. A player who had never played in a regular-season game lifted the Bills to a 4-1 record heading into their bye week. They got some help from the Titans, who had a touchdown called back because Marcus Mariota threw the ball after crossing the line of scrimmage. It didn’t hurt, either, that Titans kicker Cairo Santos missed all four of his field goal attempts. But Williams helped them take advantage. The Bills have found ways to win ugly by making plays when they count. Williams was the latest to do so.
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“I loved his juice,” McDermott said. “I loved the toughness that he brings. He’s earned it. The way he practiced, his behavior in terms of his habits. One practice to another, all the way through the first four weeks, leading us up to this week.”
“It took me a long time to get back here,” Williams said. “I know everybody was probably like, ‘He isn’t going to do it.’ But I just stayed down. I had to humble myself, grow as a man and start to put everybody else first beside myself. It’s not about me, it’s about our team.”
The Bills were fine making it about Williams, though. As he left the field, Allen ran up to him and handed him the game ball before screaming, “Duuuuuuke! I love you! Let’s fucking go!”
Williams got hugs and high-fives all the way down the tunnel. He yelled, “We’re built different!”
It’s tough to understate the charge Williams gave his teammates. They see how he handles himself in practice. They feel the energy he brings on a daily basis. They know his story, escaping poverty and violence in Louisiana and bouncing around North America trying to live his football dream. To see him reap the rewards with four catches for 29 yards and a winning touchdown catch had his teammates gushing.
“He’s wired the right way. He’s about the right things,” said Lee Smith, who also scored a touchdown. “He’s just the best. We were stoked that he got called up, and then to watch him go out there and make plays like we knew he would was special. The win was great. It’s a team game. But what I’ll remember most about the day is watching Duke go out there for the first time and do his thing. It was a special moment. I’m glad that he balled out. I’d be lying if I didn’t say my favorite part of the day was Duke Williams.
“He’s special. There’s just something about him. He’s different. He has to keep playing good ball. We’re not giving him a gold jacket yet. But I can promise you, everyone in that locker room loves that dude. The person he is, the player he is, he comes to work every day. He’s just the best.”
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Said Poyer: “He just a tough competitor. He just wants the ball more. He wants those 50-50 balls to be able to go up and make a play on a defender. To have a guy like that in the red zone is huge for this team, huge for our organization, and I’m so happy that he was able to catch that ball and build his confidence. He’s a really great player and I think the more time he gets out there and the more time him and Josh connect, I think he’s going to be a really good player for our team.”
And Allen: “He’s one of those guys you love to have on your team. The way he approaches the game, the way he approaches life. You know, he’s got a really cool story and I think a lot of guys appreciate what he’s done for us. Not even being on the active (roster) but on the practice squad and the juice that he gives us. And you see today, he gets an opportunity and he makes the most of it.”
Williams’ emergence also meant the disappearance of Jones. Williams out-snapped Jones 50-1 and had the big play the Bills have been waiting for Jones to make. Williams said he and Jones prayed together before the game and that Jones has been one of his biggest supporters. He needed every helping hand he could get as he fought for every rep on the practice squad.
“It was a grind,” Williams said. “I knew I was going to have to come and work. I don’t mind work, because I know when you work hard, you’re rewarded. No matter when it comes, it will come. Whether it’s this week or after the bye week or the middle or late in the season, I knew the time was going to come. I just keep working and continued to stay ready so I wouldn’t have to get ready. That’s what it’s about.”
Those are the moments and players that can bring a team together. Players know who deserves to play and who doesn’t. Williams deserved it, and that’s why his teammates couldn’t stop pumping him up after the game.
“Nobody is selfish in this room,” Williams said. “We all play for each other. One eat, we all eat. One win, we all win. One lose, we all lose. We win together, we lose together, we cry together. That’s what it’s about. We’re a family. Credit to those guys. It’s about them. It’s not about me. They’ve seen how hard I’ve been working. They encouraged we when I was down. They supported me. Now they see me get rewarded. It’s like they were rewarded as well.”
Lorenzo Alexander walked by his locker and said, “That’s a grown man right there!” Quinton Spain yelled, “Duuuuke!” while Williams was speaking to the media. Brown and Isaiah McKenzie urged him to stand up and embrace the moment. As the Bills were clearing out the locker room, Williams was the last one talking to reporters. He only took a break to shower and get dressed. As he walked toward the bus, a public relations staffer handed him a cell phone to do a radio interview. It was Williams’ moment.
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“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “So much emotions going through my mind right now.”
Williams’ game ball was the first of his career. As it sat behind him in his locker, he smiled thinking about how he had never received one before. Allen said, “I just wanted him to know that I appreciate him.” Williams’ eyes welled up with tears thinking about the moment.
“I’m going to put that in a case,” Williams said. “That ain’t going nowhere.”
By the looks of it, neither is he.
(Photo: Matthew Maxey / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)