St. Louis Rams: Cadillac Williams Signing Was NFL Free Agency's Most Underrated

In a move that flew mostly under the radar to outsiders of the St. Louis Rams, Cadillac Williams was brought in to backup Steven Jackson.  Jackson, who has been known to suffer injuries here and there, had his most viable back up since joining the Rams in 2004.  Bringing in Williams may have been the biggest move of the entire offseason—a thought that comes to mind after Steven Jackson suffered an injury Week 1 against the Eagles.

In 2005, Cadillac Williams burst onto the scene as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  In his rookie season, Williams rushed for 1,178 yards for the Bucs, and it looked like Cadillac was on his way to being one of the elite running backs in the NFL.  It was unthinkable that Cadillac would ever be a secondary running back.

In 2006, Williams had a subpar season, rushing for almost 400 yards less than 2005, with 65 less attempts. 

For the next two seasons, Williams was plagued by injuries.  He played in a combined total of 10 games those two seasons.  The past two years, with his carries way down, Williams hasn't been the running back we thought we'd see after bursting onto the NFL scene.

The Rams brought Cadillac in to compliment Steven Jackson and further take pressure off Sam Bradford by increasing the Rams' ability to run the ball.  That plan may be up in flames, as Jackson is hurt and Williams will assume his role.

Williams did a great job in all during Week 1, rushing for 91 yards in 19 attempts on a Rams offense that seemed stalled after Jackson left.  He was about the only bright spot for St. Louis in their loss to the Eagles.

The Rams were greatly depending on Jackson to help carry the load as he's done in past seasons, but his injury puts his role on this team in uncertainty.  That's where the signing of Williams will be huge for St. Louis.  Williams, who was thought to be nothing more than a backup at this point in his career, is now being thrust into the every-down back role and has seen his role grow more important overnight.  If he can somewhat shadow what Steven Jackson can do, the Rams may not lose a step.

Williams can't be expected to do what Jackson can, but his new and unexpected role on this team may lead to his resurgence.  And if Jackson is not gone for a long time and returns to full strength, the Rams will have one of the most feared rushing attacks in all of football.