Second-year Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams took a big step in rehab from patella tendon surgery this week, practicing with the rest of his teammates.
While it's not clear if last year's second-round pick will be fully ready for contact to start training camp, things are pointed in the right direction. Williams was expected to pass Beanie Wells on the depth chart going into last year. Instead Williams suffered a devastating injury and Wells enjoyed a breakout year.
Along with dynamic role player LaRod Stephens-Howling, the Cardinals suddenly look deep at running back.
"I'm not going to talk a lot about it because when I start telling you about how excited I am, then something is going to happen," coach Ken Whisenhunt said via Arizona Republic.
There are some areas of concern. Williams has to prove that he's the same player that he was before the injury. Wells also has to get healthy. He's been sidelined following knee surgery all offseason.
"He's got to work himself back to being ready," Whisenhunt said of Wells. "We've done the right thing with Beanie as far as the offseason and making sure he is healthy. He's got to bust his tail the next few weeks to be ready for training camp because some guys have looked good there."
We have seen some outlets say Whisenhunt "called out" Wells, but that is taking the quotes out of context. Whisenhunt's tone was that of excitement. He is challenging Wells because he thinks this backfield has a huge amount of potential.
It's taken a while, but the Cardinals are starting to resemble the running game and defense model that Whisenhunt's old team in Pittsburgh was known for.
