Atlanta Falcons: Avery Williams was the highest-graded kick returner

The Atlanta Falcons might have another underrated star on their hands, but this time on special teams.

Avery Williams, who managed most punt and kickoff returns for the Falcons in 2021 was secretly the top graded kickoff returner in the entire NFL last season.

Pro Football Focus says the Falcons have the best kickoff returner

Pro Football Focus, which is known for grading every single play by every single player, has Avery Williams as the highest graded kickoff returner in the game last year. This is something that very few people would have ever guessed, as the Falcons did not exactly have a great year overall in 2021.

https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1512535251528163335?s=20&t=DkIs-Nrr4YMOOrrVyL4V-w

There it is, the Falcons have the best kickoff returner that the game has to offer, at least according to PFF.

Avery Williams came to the Falcons as a late-round draft pick out of Boise State where he was an excellent do-it-all special teamer for the Broncos. It seems like he is transferring that over into the NFL.

Williams main position is cornerback and he was thrust into playing slot cornerback a lot during his rookie year, especially after the injury to Isaiah Oliver. It was obvious that his abilities are better suited for special teams compared to defense.

It was shocking to see Williams take over the kick return duties due to the team having one of the best kickoff returners in the history of the NFL, that being Cordarrelle Patterson. However, due to Patterson’s importance on offense, the team decided to not risk him being injured on special teams, expect to see the same in 2022, especially with how well Avery was able to perform as the team’s kickoff returner.

It is time to start giving credit to Avery Williams for the job he was able to do for the Falcons special teams last season.