Player Profile

PRO: Searching for a big, possession receiver, the Cowboys claimed Randal Williams off waivers from Jacksonville midway through the 2001 season. Williams, who is a raw receiver with the speed and size to win a battle for the football, has not cracked Dallas's receivers rotation but has made a name for himself with his special teams play. He has recorded a special teams tackle in 15 of his 18 career games, including a stop in each of his first 11. Entering his third season, Williams will be working to make a name for himself as a receiver as he battles for a spot on the Cowboys receiving depth chart.

2002: Seeing all his action with the special teams units, Williams finished sixth on the team with 11 special teams tackles. He opened the season at Houston (9/8) with a team-high three special teams tackles while helping limit the Texans to a 5.3 average on four punt returns. He posted one special teams stop and downed a punt at the four-yard line against Tennessee (9/15) before posting another special teams tackle at Philadelphia (9/22). At St. Louis (9/29), he tallied two special teams stops as Terrence Wilkins was limited to one yard on three punt returns with a fair catch. Williams suffered a sprained right ankle early against the N.Y. Giants (10/6) and was held without a special teams tackle for the first time in his career, snapping an 11-game streak. He returned against Carolina (10/13) to contribute a special teams tackle then recorded another special teams stop at Detroit (11/3) in helping limit Az-Hakim to an 8.4 yard average on five punt returns. He suffered a concussion early in the Jacksonville (11/24) game, forcing him from the game and keeping him out of the Thanksgiving Day game against Washington (11/28). He was inactive for the final four games of the season.

2001: Williams signed with Jacksonville as a rookie free agent and finished the preseason with one catch for six yards working with current Cowboys receivers coach John McNulty. He made the Jaguars final roster, but was deactivated for each of Jacksonville's first six games. He was released Oct. 27 and claimed by Dallas Oct. 29. He was inactive at the N.Y. Giants (11/4) then active but did not play at Atlanta (11/11). He saw his first NFL action on special teams, recording one tackle against Philadelphia (11/18). Against Denver (11/22), he added another special teams tackle then recorded his third straight special teams tackle at Washington (12/2). Williams saw action on the punt coverage team and registered a tackle working as a gunner against the N.Y. Giants (12/9). At Seattle (12/16), he recorded another special teams tackle before being deactivated at Arizona (12/23). Against San Francisco (12/30), Williams tallied his sixth special teams tackle before closing the season at Detroit (1/6/02) with his seventh tackle in seven games.

COLLEGE: Williams saw action in seven games as a senior at New Hampshire, catching 10 passes for 258 yards (25.8 avg.) and four touchdowns. He also carried the ball 47 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns and returned eight punts for 146 yards (18.3). To compliment his football feats, Williams earned Academic All-Conference honors. As a junior, he caught 10 passes for 149 yards (14.9) and three touchdowns while seeing action in every game. He averaged 6.5 yards-per-carry on four rushes (26 yards) and also saw some playing time as a defensive end, where he recorded one tackle.

PERSONAL: Randal Ellison Williams attended Deerfield, Mass., Academy, where he played split end and defensive end on the football team while running the 100-meters, 200-meters and 4x100 relay for the track team. He tied the Deerfield Academy school record in the 100 and earned a silver medal in the 100 at the New England Prep School Championships. Williams, who was president of the Deerfield Black Student Coalition, graduated from New Hampshire with a double major in business and Spanish. His ability to speak Spanish was a huge benefit for the 2001 Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club, a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service. The Rookie Club visited The Salvation Army Distribution Center during the holidays to assist with the Angel Tree Program for underprivileged families where Williams was an asset with his ability to communicate with the Hispanic families. In 2002, Williams served as the guest speaker for the Dallas Cowboys Community Quarterback Volunteer Award Program press conference, sharing his thoughts on the importance of volunteerism and how volunteers impacted his life growing up in a single-parent home.