Isaiah Williams (wide receiver, born 2001)

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

Isaiah Williams
Williams with Illinois in 2022
No. 18 – New York Jets
PositionsWide receiver
Return specialist
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2001-01-29) January 29, 2001 (age 24)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolTrinity Catholic (St. Louis, Missouri)
CollegeIllinois (2019–2023)
NFL draft2024: undrafted
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2025
Receptions7
Receiving yards43
Rushing yards29
Return yards898
Return touchdowns1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Isaiah Williams (born January 29, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

Early life

[edit]

Williams attended Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He played quarterback in high school.[1] Williams was the Missouri Gatorade Football Player of the Year both his junior and senior seasons.[2] He played in the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game.[3] He committed to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to play college football.[4]

College career

[edit]

Williams played quarterback his first two years at Illinois in 2019 and 2020. He played in four games his first season and took a redshirt. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, he started four games and played in one other. In his first career start, he rushed for 192 yards, which was a school record for quarterbacks.[5] Overall for the season, he completed 26 of 63 passes for 393 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed for 389 yards with a touchdown.

Prior to the 2021 season, Williams was switched to wide receiver.[6] In his first year as a receiver, he led the team with 47 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns.[7] He started all 13 games in 2022 and again led the team with 82 receptions for 715 yards and five touchdowns.[8]

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+1⁄4 in
(1.76 m) 		182 lb
(83 kg) 		30+1⁄8 in
(0.77 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.57 s 1.56 s 2.62 s 4.11 s 6.75 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		 17 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10][11]

Detroit Lions

[edit]

On April 28, 2024, Williams signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent, after not being selected in the 2024 NFL draft.[12] He was notably among the 53 players to make the Lions initial Week 1 roster. However, he was released by the team on November 7.[13]

Cincinnati Bengals

[edit]

On November 8, 2024, Williams was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals.[14] Starting with the Bengals' Week 14 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Williams took over punt return duties for the Bengals after an injury to Charlie Jones.[15] He remained in the role for the rest of the season.[16]

On August 26, 2025, Williams was waived by the Bengals as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[17][18]

New York Jets

[edit]

On September 10, 2025, Williams was signed by the New York Jets off the Bengals' practice squad.[19] He was released on October 4, and re-signed to the practice squad.[20] Williams was promoted to the active roster on October 18.[21] In Week 8, Williams returned five kicks for 132 yards and three punts for 38 yards in a 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ryan, Shannon (February 5, 2019). "Illinois committed to giving Isaiah Williams a shot at quarterback — a big reason he signed with the Illini: 'He loves that "he's too short" thing'". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ "All-purpose: Isaiah Williams, Trinity". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Smith, Cam (September 5, 2018). "Isaiah Williams, Marcus Washington, Shammond Cooper honored with Under Armour All-America jerseys". USA Today High School Sports.
  4. ^ "Lovie lands 5-star QB recruit Isaiah Williams". Herald & Review. March 23, 2018.
  5. ^ Wagner, Joey (November 14, 2020). "'He put the team on his back,' Illinois quarterback Isaiah Williams rushes into record book". Herald & Review.
  6. ^ Dare, Chad (May 8, 2021). "Isaiah Williams switches from quarterback to wide receiver". Commercial-News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Richey, Scott (March 23, 2024). "Williams embracing challenge of new offense". The News-Gazette.
  8. ^ Richey, Scott (March 25, 2024). "Notes: Williams focused on growing as receiver, leader this spring". The News-Gazette.
  9. ^ "Isaiah Williams Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Isaiah Williams College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  11. ^ @IlliniFootball (March 9, 2024). "2024 Isaiah Williams Pro Day" (Tweet). Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Twentyman, Tim (May 10, 2024). "TWENTYMAN: A closer look at the Lions' undrafted rookie free agents". DetroitLions.
  13. ^ "Lions Release Undrafted WR Isaiah Williams for Jameson Williams' Return". BVNSports.com. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  14. ^ "Bengals Acquire Isaiah Williams on Waivers". Bengals.com. November 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Dietz, Matthew (December 10, 2024). "Brown Jr., Charlie Jones inactive as Bengals meet Cowboys on MNF". WLWT. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  16. ^ "Bengals' Isaiah Williams: Works mostly as returner in 2024". CBS Sports. February 15, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  17. ^ "Bengals Reduce Final Roster to 53 Players for 2025 Season". bengals.com. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  18. ^ "Bengals Sign 14 Players to 2025 Practice Squad BENGALS ROSTER UPDATE". bengals.com. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  19. ^ Allen, Eric. "Jets Sign WR Isaiah Williams, Release WR Xavier Gipson". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  20. ^ Cimini, Rich (October 4, 2025). "Jets cut returner Williams after gaffes in MNF loss". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  21. ^ Allen, Eric (October 18, 2025). "Jets Make Several Transactions Ahead of Game with Panthers". NewYorkJets.com.
  22. ^ Kownack, Bobby (October 29, 2025). "Bills RB James Cook, Packers QB Jordan Love highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
[edit]