Auburn Football: What D'haquille Williams' Return Means for Tigers Offense
After almost a full week of missed practices and increased speculation on his future at Auburn, D'haquille "Duke" Williams is out wide for the Tigers once again. But that doesn't mean everything is back to normal on the Plains.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn announced Thursday evening that Williams had returned to the practice field earlier that day for the first time since last Friday, August 7.
According to Malzahn, Williams had resolved his unnamed "discipline issue" and was allowed to be reinstated with the program.
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"He's taken care of what he needed to take care, but it's a daily deal, just like everybody else on our team," Malzahn said Thursday, according to James Crepea of AL.com. "They're going to have to come out there and practice with a great attitude, great effort and earn their playing time on the field."
Those last few words from Malzahn are important. Williams did not run with the first-team offense on Thursday, and it may be a while before he does that again.
"He was at the bottom of the depth chart (on Thursday)," Malzahn said, via Crepea. "He's going to earn his way back up. He understands that. For anybody that missed that many practices, that's to be expected."
The long-term effect of Williams' return to the team is quite obvious.
Auburn will be able to start the 2015 season against Louisville with its leading receiver instead of virtually starting over at the position. Take away Williams and Auburn's departed seniors, and the Tigers are without a staggering 79.4 percent of their receiving yards from last season.
| Sammie Coates | 34 | 741 | 21.79 | 4 |
| D'haquille Williams | 45 | 730 | 16.22 | 5 |
| Quan Bray | 39 | 471 | 12.08 | 4 |
| Ricardo Louis | 21 | 261 | 12.43 | 3 |
| Melvin Ray | 8 | 182 | 22.75 | 1 |
The presence of Williams out wide is especially vital this season for what Auburn will most likely do on the offensive side of the ball.
Now that junior Jeremy Johnson has taken over for Nick Marshall at quarterback, the Tigers have a true pocket presence who is more dangerous with his arm than with his legs. In Williams, Johnson will have a dangerous intermediate threat with an incredible catch radius.
Barring any more off-field issues, Auburn's offense should reach a new level this season with a more experienced version of its All-SEC receiver.
But the short-term effects of Williams' return will be just as important for the Tigers.
If Williams is indeed practicing at the bottom of the depth chart for Auburn, that means that several other receivers will continue to get opportunities to practice with the first-string offense for the time being.
According to a story earlier in the week by Crepea, Auburn has rotated Ricardo Louis, Melvin Ray, Myron Burton Jr. and Darius Slayton as Williams' usual spot at split end/"X" receiver. Tony Stevens, who backed up Coates last season, has played a number of roles during the offseason.
"Those are guys that have played that position before and are doing a nice job," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said, via Crepea.
While Williams represents a major chunk of Auburn's passing attack, he can't do it alone. Williams thrived in his first season at Auburn opposite Coates, a standout receiver.
More first-team reps for players such as Ray, Stevens, Burton and Slayton should be extremely valuable for the offense throughout the rest of fall camp. And Williams' demotion puts more spotlight on Louis, a senior who will most likely start opposite his fellow senior.
"I'm a senior, I'm a leader, and when things like (Williams' being out) happen, somebody has to step up and that's my responsibility," Louis said, via Crepea. "Nobody has to tell me, 'Ricardo you have to step up.' I already know it's time to step up, and that's what I'm going to do."
As Phillip Marshall of Auburn Undercover wrote on Friday morning, Williams surely won't be at the bottom of the depth chart when the Tigers head to the Georgia Dome in a few weeks to take on Louisville.
"Williams, as a bona fide star, is different than a third-teamer trying to make the travel squad," Marshall wrote. "He just is. To pretend otherwise is folly. His teammates want to trust him. They want to believe in him. They know they have a better chance to reach their goals if he is part of the pursuit of those goals."
Until Williams can prove to Malzahn and his teammates that he deserves to be back on the first-team offense, a few more Auburn receivers who will have to step up this fall will get valuable reps with the starters.
If Williams can take advantage of what is most likely his last chance at Auburn, the Tigers are in a win-win situation at wide receiver after a week of tension.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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