In the latest update of Maurice Purify making the 53-man roster, Pragmatic briefly notes that the team decided to place safety Roy Williams on Injured Reserve to make room for wide receiver. Williams had reportedly suffered another hit on the forearm this week during practice -- the same forearm he broke in 2008 -- causing it to fracture again. It will be put in a cast now, reports Geoff Hobson, in the hopes that surgery isn't required.
Williams only played in half of the season's eight games. And in those four games, Williams was a monster. He recorded nine tackles against Denver, eight against Green Bay, eight against the Pittsburgh Steelers and five against the Baltimore Ravens. He initially suffered a forearm injury against the Steelers, sidelining in the past three games -- he attempted to come back against Baltimore.
This is Williams' only season under contract with the Bengals. Marvin Lewis wants him back.
"We know he's a hell of a kid and that he wants to play in the worst way," Lewis said. "The pain and the trauma on the site of where he had the injury is too much. ... I think the medical people just feel the best way is for him to have a couple of options. He'll explore the best option to go forward for his career next year.
"He's a great player, a great person. He's uplifted this building and we want to have all those guys we can have here. Tough guy to lose. But he's empowered other guys to play better and that's what you want guys to do. It's been good for us."
And I agree. The team should bring Williams back.