Former Illinois wide receiver still fighting for a spot with the Cincinnati Bengals

It was an ugly beginning of the week for the Illinois football program, as 10 former players were either cut or waived to get NFL rosters down to 53 players.

The fact that the Illini have so many players in the NFL is always exciting, so having some of them cut is equally disappointing. Isaiah Williams was one of the former players who had his situation change at the beginning of the week.

The Cincinnati Bengals had to get down to the 53-man roster, and Williams was one of the cuts. He wasn’t on the market for too long, though. On Wednesday, the Bengals brought the former Illinois wide receiver back by signing him to their practice squad.

Williams had a great career with the Orange and Blue. He started out as a quarterback but transitioned to wide receiver under current head coach Bret Bielema.

From day one, Williams was an electric pass catcher. In his final two seasons in Champaign, he combined for 164 receptions for 1770 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Undrafted out of Illinois last season, Williams saw some limited action with the Detroit Lions and Bengals. He suited up in two games for the Lions and played eight snaps. With the Bengals, he had 19 snaps. For the season, Williams finished with two receptions for six yards.

Isaiah Williams can do it all, and that makes him valuable in the NFL

At Illinois, Williams was a bit of a Swiss Army Knife. The fact that he can go from quarterback to wide receiver and not miss a beat is incredible. He can also play different roles on the field.

In his first season in the NFL, Williams saw action out wide, in the slot, in the backfield, and he also returned kicks and punts. The versatility makes Williams a huge asset to any NFL franchise.

Keep an eye on the Bengals. Let’s see if Williams can get elevated to the 53-man roster. It wouldn’t shock me for that to be the case sometime this season.