Jamaal Williams might not lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns this season like he did in 2022 when he reached the end zone 17 times for the Detroit Lions.
He might not eclipse the 1,000-yard mark again, a plateau no Saints running back has reached since Mark Ingram in 2016.
But I can assure you this: Williams is going to be a fan favorite in New Orleans.
He doesn’t know what jersey number he’s going to be wearing yet, but Saints fans will surely be flocking to the stores to get one.
His big personality guarantees that.
It was evident at his introductory news conference Friday, two days after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Saints.
Yeah, there are some things he still has to learn about New Orleans, like the correct pronunciation of beignets.
“When I said I was coming here, the first thing my girlfriend said was ‘Oooh, you’ve gotta try some beignettis.’ Bougettis.”
He eventually got it right.
“Beignyays.”
You can tell he already loves his new home. He spent the past two seasons with the Lions and the four seasons before that with the Green Bay Packers.
While the rain was pouring down outside of the Saints’ practice facility Friday, Williams stepped up to the podium inside and showed the local media how much he embraced even the bad weather on this day.
He tilted his head back and spread his arms wide.
“I’m still like this in the rain,” Williams said.
For the next 19 minutes, he fielded questions, answering many of them in a quick-witted Cam Jordan-like manner. He started by talking about Pokemon, explaining the Eevie hat he was wearing. By the time he was finished, he had touched on everything from college teammate Taysom Hill, to a reporter’s facial hair, to the one thing that has him hesitant to try crawfish.
“I don’t want the head on it,” Williams said. “I’m a little squeamish. I don’t do well with dead things that are still intact, with the head. If it’s looking at me, I can’t do it. But if somebody do it for me (pinch the head off), I’ll demolish that thing.”
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