Duke Williams

BIOGRAPHY

Duke Williams was born May 13, 1993, in Los Angeles, California. He is a wide receiver in the NFL.

Williams attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College from 2012 to 2013. In two years, he had 118 receptions for 2,028 yards and 26 touchdowns. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Williams was listed as the No. 1 junior college prospect in 2014. He originally committed to Louisiana State University but changed to Auburn University. In his first game at Auburn, Williams had nine receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown. He was dismissed from Auburn on October 6, 2015, for an unidentified violation of team rules, later AL.com reported that Williams punched four people at a bar. It was also noted that he would no longer attend Auburn for academics. Williams in 2015 finished with 12 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown.

On May 10, 2016, Williams signed a 3-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Rams as part of final roster cuts. On January 7, 2019, Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Williams played in all four preseason games for the Bills, catching eight passes for 78 yards with two touchdowns. He was released during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. On October 5, 2019, Williams was promoted to the active roster. He caught 4 passes for 29 yards and the game-winning touchdown in a 14–7 Bills win over the Tennessee Titans on October 6, 2019. After suffering a shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins in week 7, Williams was deactivated for the rest of the season until week 17 when the Bills rested numerous starters against the New York Jets, having already clinched a playoff berth. Williams caught six passes for 108 yards during the 13–6 loss.

Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Bills on July 29, 2020. He was activated on August 9, 2020. Williams was waived as part of final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, but was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on October 24 and January 8, 2021, for the team's week 7 and wild card playoff games against the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 26, 2021, Williams signed a reserves/futures contract with the Bills.