Chiefs make Damien Williams’ two-year contract extension official

Update: 2:43 p.m. Arrowhead Time

Comments from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid: “Damien’s really done a nice job for us. He was rewarded for that with a nice contract. It allows him to be on our football team here for a little bit here, so I’m happy for him because he’s earned it, and he’s gone out and played special teams and excelled on special teams and when he was given an opportunity to play the running back position, he’s done a nice job with that.”

Damien Williams on Friday in the locker room: “It means a lot. At the end of the day, they took a shot on me this year coming of a (shoulder) injury. A lot of teams shied away from it and they didn’t shy away from it. They’re showing me that they’re not shying away from anything and continue what I’m doing ... You don’t get to play with a guy like Pat (Mahomes) every day. He’s great, everything he does. Everybody around him—Tyreek (Hill), the O-line. It makes it great being here because you could have fun.”

Update: 8:35 a.m. Arrowhead Time

Chiefs make it official.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed running back Damien Williams to a two-year contract extension worth $8.1 million, as first reported by Terez Paylor of Yahoo! Sports.

Williams’ agent, Ian Greengross, tweeted out a picture of him signing his contract on Thursday night.

Williams, 26, first signed with the Chiefs back in March after spending the first four years of his career with the Miami Dolphins. Williams had offseason shoulder surgery but was ready for Chiefs training camp, which ultimately paid off in the form of one of four roster spots at the 53-man roster deadline.

Williams served the Chiefs as a backup for most of the season before he was needed in a bigger role because of Kareem Hunt’s sudden release and a recent hamstring injury to Spencer Ware.

In the four games since Hunt’s departure, Williams has compiled 36 carries for 204 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and three rushing touchdowns. Williams also has 19 catches for 134 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

“He’s done a great job,” Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough said of Williams on Thursday. “What I’ve seen from him—from the tape, we looked at him during the free-agent process and then once he got here last spring, just the way he moved around, his intensity, his explosiveness, his ability to change direction, catch the ball, process our offense has been very impressive. As the season went on, [we stayed] keeping him positive, upbeat, and when the opportunity came for him to play, he took advantage of it.”

Before the Damien Williams signing, rookie Darrel Williams had been the only running back on the 2019 Chiefs roster. With Damien previously due to become an unrestricted free agent, the move helps to solidify a position that was otherwise up in the air.

Williams most recently had 13 carries for 103 yards and seven receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown against Seattle.