Cadillac

Williams

''I found out Thursday that I wasn’t going to play that much,’' Williams said. ''I was a little disappointed but Coach reminded me that it’s the preseason and that there’ll be plenty of carries to be had this year.’' Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott didn’t play either.

Coach Gruden is treating Williams like an NFL veteran. That’s fine with us. It’s another sign he’ll get a boatload of touches.

''Did you see how many carries LaDainian Tomlinson had in his first game?’' general manager Bruce Allen asked. The answer is zero, same as Williams. The Bucs will give their starting RB minimal carries in preseason before turning him loose in the regular season.

With the Bucs O-line hurting, coach Jon Gruden doesn’t want Williams too banged-up in the preseason. We say it’s a good sign he’s being treated like a veteran.

Williams was drafted fifth overall by the Bucs in 2005 and spent the first six years of his career in Tampa Bay before ending his playing days with the Rams in 2011. Williams, now 36, was set to coach for the Birmingham Iron of the AAF this year but will now instead join Gus Malzahn at his alma mater.

Williams never had a chance after Tampa fell behind early. The team’s offensive line remains a concern. The positive? He played most third downs and caught five passes after catching only 20 all of last year.

Williams dealt with the same ailment in early training camp. He’s expected to play in Week 2, but this is a situation to monitor closely as the Bucs practice this week. Tampa faces Atlanta next Sunday.

Steven Jackson (quad) is likely to miss at least one game. Williams is 29 and running on bionic knees, but he has nice skills out of the backfield and is an asset in pass protection. Cadillac projects as an every-down back, with Jerious Norwood coming on for a change-of-pace role. The Rotoworld Season Pass currently ranks Caddy 30th among Week 2 running backs. He doesn’t have a whole lot of upside, but 25 touches are well within reach.

Cadillac Williams will get the start next Monday night. Spags confirmed that Jackson’s quad is strained, and it sounds like a week-to-week situation. The Rams have a Week 5 bye, but they’ll hope to get Jackson back before then. After Jackson’s early-game injury in Week 1, the Rams showed they are willing to lean heavily on Cadillac with 24 touches. The 29-year-old running back will be still be more flex option than RB2 against the Giants.

Williams’ status is being labeled “day to day,” so it’s not a serious injury. The Rams are hoping Steven Jackson returns this week, leaving Caddy as a poor fantasy option against the Ravens.