DeAngelo Williams Should Remain a Part of Panthers Backfield for One More Year

DeAngelo Williams' story with the Carolina Panthers has yet to be completely written. 

As a 31-year-old running back, Williams is entering the twilight of his career. He, however, still holds some value for the Panthers organization. 

When the running back restructured his contract in May, the franchise received much-needed salary-cap relief, while Williams gained some upfront money and a chance to extend his role with the organization beyond 2014.

Williams originally signed a five-year, $43 million contract after the 2010 season. The running back was awarded the contract after an injury-plagued campaign, but he eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. The Panthers haven't seen that level of production since.

The running back's decline in play has been clearly evident. The 2014 campaign was his worst season, with career lows in carries, yardage, yards per carry, receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns. 

Year	Games	Carries	Rushing Yards	YPC	Touchdowns
2010	6	87	361	4.1	1
2011	16	155	836	5.4	7
2012	16	173	737	4.3	5
2013	15	201	843	4.2	3
2014	6	62	219	3.5	0

The veteran back suffered through tremendous personal adversity after the loss of his mother and a broken hand, though. 

"He's a pro's pro," Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said Wednesday during a press conference, via Panthers.com's Max Henson. "And the way he finished the season—he finished it like a man. And I'm proud of the way he finished."

Despite Gettleman's praise, the general manager wouldn't comment on Williams' future with the franchise. 

"I need to talk to DeAngelo," Gettleman said.

He may have alluded to which direction he is currently leaning, per the Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler. 

“If you’re emotional about your decision, you’re going to really do something stupid,” Gettleman said.

It is, however, in the Panthers' interest to keep Williams for another season.

The decision to potentially retain Williams starts with a smart fiscal plan. 

According to Spotrac.com, the running back's non-guaranteed base salary next season is $1.85 million with up to $483,333 in additional bonus money. The Panthers will also have to account for $3.2 million of Williams' signing bonus as part of their 2015 salary-cap number. 

The organization can't create any extra salary-cap space by releasing the veteran runner. If the Panthers still chose to part ways with the franchise's all-time leading rusher, it would actually cost Carolina valuable cap space.

Williams' 2015 cap hit is $6.33 million. His contract would account for $6.6 million in dead money upon being released. That number drops to $2.266 million in 2016. 

After factoring in Williams' contract situation, it's simply a smarter move to keep him on the roster one more season. The money is going to be counted against the team anyway. The Panthers might as well try and get something out of nothing.

At this point in his career, the Memphis product clearly isn't an every-down back. But he can still contribute in keys areas. 

Depth is a major concern for every NFL team. Jonathan Stewart developed into a legitimate lead back. His performance during the final six games of the season was exceptional. However, the last time Stewart played a full 16-game slate was in 2011. The talented runner battled injuries throughout his career, and very few franchises have the luxury of an experienced veteran like Williams who knows the team and the playbook inside and out. 

Williams isn't simply a No. 2 or No. 3 running back, though. The ninth-year veteran can also serve as a competent third-down back. 

During his career, Williams graded positively with his pass-blocking five times, including the past three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The running back also caught 178 passes. He might not be as explosive as Fozzy Whittaker, but there is still room on the roster for a crafty veteran who can get the job done when needed. 

Also, Williams still has a little bit of gas left in the tank and shows some of the explosive burst that once made him into a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL draft. 

Williams was used very little during the Panthers' 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. In fact, the running back was only on the field for a total of six snaps. An eight-yard run during one of his two carries displayed Williams' lingering positives, though.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

In the above screen capture, Williams read his block and recognized the cornerback was in position to keep contain. Instead of trying to bounce the run outside, he made an abrupt cut to take advantage of the lane that developed to the inside of his blocker.  

As Williams considered his options, he was two yards behind the original line of scrimmage. The play could have resulted in a loss or only a short gain if Williams was slow with his decision or cut. He easily turned it upfield to Seattle's 15-yard line. 

That's one example of how Williams can still be effective when used in small doses. 

It's easy to say that teams need to move on from aging players who aren't producing at the level their contract or status with the team dictates. After all, Gettleman made a business decision last year to release the heart and soul of the team, Steve Smith Sr. 

Each case should be treated differently, though. 

It doesn't make sense for the Panthers to move on from Williams quite yet. His time will come sooner rather than later. The final pages of his story are being written, but the team should leave room for one more chapter.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.