Williams (shoulder) will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the league year but hopes to return to the Dolphins in 2018, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
The Dolphins are the only team Williams has ever known since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and then re-signing on a one-year contract last offseason. While he was never more than a change-of-pace runner during his first three years, Miami seemingly signaled its faith in Williams' potential when it traded away then-starting running back Jay Ajayi to the Eagles last October. The Oklahoma product fared well in Ajayi's absence, averaging 4.4 yards per carry while splitting the workload with teammate Kenyan Drake. However, his season ended when he dislocated his shoulder in Week 13, which paved the way for Drake to shine as the lead back. Drake -- who averaged 126.1 total yards in the four games he started and finished -- is under contract through the 2019 campaign and now clearly proceeds into the offseason as No. 1 on the depth chart, with Senorise Perry set to return in 2018 as well. To date, there have been no signs on the Dolphins front that indicate Williams will be joining those two, though he would appear to be a low-cost option for the Dolphins who could take on a large workload on special teams.