Former Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams is making the most of a late chance with the Detroit Lions.
Williams, who signed with Detroit in August after brief stops with other teams, was named the Lions’ preseason Player of the Game against the Washington Commanders. In that game, he put up 60 yards on 11 touches and found the end zone.
It was a strong follow-up to a career that already includes plenty of production at Texas A&M. Williams finished his college run with 3,615 rushing yards, a 6.0 yards-per-carry average and 34 rushing touchdowns. He also added 561 receiving yards and another score.
His biggest season came as a junior, when he rushed for 1,760 yards and 18 touchdowns. Those numbers set Texas A&M’s single-season records for rushing yards and all-purpose yards, and the performance earned him Doak Walker Award semifinalist honors along with first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American recognition. After that season, he declared early for the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Cincinnati Bengals took Williams in the sixth round, and he appeared in every game as a rookie. He stayed with the Bengals through 2023 in reserve and practice-squad roles before moving on.
For a player viewed as a long shot to make Detroit’s 53-man roster, the preseason outing was a timely reminder that he can still produce. And given that he had only been with the team for a week, it was the kind of showing that could open more doors, in Detroit or somewhere else in the league.
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For A&M, the lack of an All-American selection simply adds another layer to a season that will be judged on more than reputation alone. Plenty of ranked teams were overlooked in the APs lists, and the Aggies will spend the fall trying to prove they belong among the sports most complete groups even without much preseason individual spotlight. [Read more 🡒]