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Associated Press 8y

Buffalo Bills cut troubled running back Karlos Williams

NFL, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- First Karlos Williams was out of shape. Now he's out of a job after the Buffalo Bills released the backup running back on Saturday.

"He came in behind the eight ball and never caught up, and there were other guys on the roster who moved ahead of him," general manager Doug Whaley said. "In light of that, we thought, `Why hold onto him?"

The Bills announced Williams was released hours before their preseason game against the New York Giants.

The move comes five days after Williams was cleared for practice. He missed the first two weeks of training camp while working with the team's training staff on getting into shape.

Williams' conditioning issues first came to light in June, when he was overweight reporting to the team's mandatory minicamps.

He blamed his extra bulk on being empathetic to his fiance and not wanting her to snack alone during her pregnancy.

Conditioning wasn't Williams' only issue. Last month, the NFL suspended him for the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Whaley said the team concluded that Williams wouldn't be ready to play even after serving the suspension.

"He was so far out of reach for his goal that it was going to take a lot of time for him to get to where he needed to be," Whaley said.

His departure happened almost as quickly as his ascension last year during his rookie season.

Williams was considered a project when Buffalo drafted him in the fifth round out of Florida State. At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, he had the combination of size and speed to play running back. What he lacked was experience at the position after making the switch from safety during the 2013 season.

Williams immediately dispelled any questions by becoming the second NFL player to score touchdowns in his first six games -- and at a time when starter LeSean McCoy was hampered by a hamstring injury.

He finished with 517 yards rushing and scored nine touchdowns, including two receiving.

The Bills have depth at running back, in part because of the addition of Reggie Bush two weeks ago. Buffalo selected Jonathan Williams in the fifth round and also re-signed Mike Gillislee, who had 267 yards rushing and scored three times last year.

Williams was cut the same day that Bills star defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, also suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, announced that he would enter a rehabilitation facility.

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