Karlos Williams, Rex Ryan Comment on Bills RB's Weight Gain

Buffalo Bills running back Karlos Williams was a valuable asset out of the backfield as a rookie in 2015, but his newfound girth during the offseason has the team wanting to see him cut down his weight. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said Williams is “not anywhere close to where he needs to be to play at a high level” before saying the 23-year-old won't be doing more than individual drills until his weight comes down. 

Per ESPN.com's Mike Rodak, Williams explained that his weight gain was due to "the injury of pregnancy," as his fiancee was pregnant. He said "her being pregnant gave me an excuse to eat, so eating anything and everything."  

Williams did note that his fiancee has gotten back to exercising after having their child and they are "motivating each other, feed off each other’s energy, and we’re getting ready for camp.”

The Bills tweeted out a picture of Williams after he showed up to camp, though he doesn't appear to have fallen completely out of shape since the season ended last January:

The Bills' official website lists Williams at 6'1", 230 pounds, and he said his target weight wasn't "far off."

Ryan added that the Bills aren't putting a specific weight total on Williams that is unattainable:

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We’re not going to put a ridiculous weight number on him when he comes back, we’re going to put something that’s obtainable for him. What you don’t want to do, you don’t want to have him, all of a sudden he’s going to drop 20 pounds and he comes out here and he gets hurt the first day of training camp; that’s what we’re trying to avoid. So we got to get him to do the right things now.

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Williams quickly turned into a crucial piece of Buffalo's run-heavy offense last year. He started three games, running for 517 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns on just 93 carries. 

The Bills do have tremendous depth at running back with LeSean McCoy as the starter, Williams behind him and quarterback Tyrod Taylor possessing excellent running skills. The team led the NFL in rushing yards last season thanks in large part to that trio. 

Buffalo's success in 2016 depends on having a full complement of running backs at their peak physical shape. Williams has tremendous talent and seems ready to get things back to where they were last year. 

It's certain the Bills will need—and expect—more from Williams if they want to challenge the New England Patriots in the AFC East.