‘More for me!’ Falcons return Avery Williams talks new NFL rule and injury recovery

Amid the chaos of player arrivals and departures, the NFL offseason is a time of change in the league’s rules – and one that could prove particularly beneficial for the Atlanta Falcons.

At league owners’ meetings in late March, teams officially approved a new kickoff rule that places all non-kicking kickoff coverage team members on the line opponent from 40 meters, but prohibits them from moving until the ball touches the ground and/or has returned.

The rule comes after the NFL recorded the lowest kick return rate – 22 percent – in league history last season, as injury concerns remain prevalent across the league front office. .

And with the new rule, Falcons running back and return specialist Avery Williams is expecting a lot of anticipation, who spoke with reporters after the team’s OTA practice.

“It’s more returns for me,” Williams said. “And so, I’m extremely excited. I’m happy that they’re making this adjustment, and I’m excited to see how the league handles this. There’s going to be a lot of adjustments on the fly, from the preseason to the week 1 and so on, because everyone learns at the same pace – it’s new for everyone.”

Williams, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has 39 kick returns under his belt – 23 in 2021 and 16 in 2022 – for 803 yards and an average of 20.6 yards per return. He was Atlanta’s primary returner, although now-Pittsburgh Steeler Cordarrelle Patterson also recovered a few kicks each season.

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Williams, 25, missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered during OTA, and although he still wears a brace on his surgically repaired knee, he said he is capable of doing all the necessary movements and that he was in perfect health.

Williams’ recovery is good news for Atlanta’s return game, especially in terms of punting, where Williams played a starring role before his injury.

In 2022, Williams led the NFL in yards per punt return with 16.2, almost three yards more than second place. In 2023, with Williams on the sidelines, Atlanta’s punt return core ranked third-worst in the league, averaging just 7.2 yards per return.

Naturally, more factors played a role just the loss of Williams – but he proved to be the difference maker for a Falcons team that was forced to turn to various sources of help, including cornerbacks Dee Alford and Mike Hughes.

Atlanta is banking on a healthy Williams to reinvigorate the return game, even though plenty of options exist around him. Alford and Hughes are both back, and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot believes receivers Rondale Moore and Ray-Ray McCloud III also offer return value.

But Williams is the leader and he’s looking at a strong dose of returns this fall thanks to the introduction of the new rule.

“I know return rates are going to increase,” Williams said. “The touch back rate has been very high in recent years, and I think it’s going to be reversed. I think the return rates are going to be very high, and you’ll see a low touch back rate. So, it’s good for football and it’s good for everyone, including those who are returning.

During OTAs, Williams has been the Falcons’ No. 2 running back, a scenario brought on by injuries to Bijan Robinson and sixth-round rookie Jase McClellan. As such, Williams spent a lot of time working with Atlanta’s first-team offense upon his return to the field.

But Williams didn’t seem too concerned about his role in the offense; instead, he’s focused on learning the fundamentals of new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s playbook and trying to execute when his opportunities present themselves.

Williams said his offseason was long, putting a heavy workload focused on maintaining his strength and stability. He’s just closing in on a year of injury.

Still, he added that he feels good on the field — and already has a general understanding of what awaits him when he returns to return his first kickoff this fall.

“There are a lot of guys starting on the same line all the way down the field,” Williams said. “So you might find some returns hitting where they’re not planning to hit. There’s going to be a lot of instinct, a lot of vision used.”

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said May 21 that he likes where his special teams unit stands in understanding the rule, even though there are still a lot of different things to experiment with.

Yet whatever new flavors are mixed in, this is considered true: New kick return opportunities are coming and Williams feels ready to capitalize.

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