Falcons add grit to the practice squad with the signing of WR Nick Williams

The Falcons have signed wide receiver Nick Williams to to the team's practice squad. Williams, 25, spent last season on the Falcons' active roster, hauling in 17 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Williams entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Connecticut. He was signed by Washington following the 2013 NFL Draft, and he played in five games for them that season. In Washington, Williams had three receptions for 15 yards.

Williams initially made it through Atlanta's cuts to get the roster down to the league-mandated limit of 53 men, but he was waived shortly thereafter to make room for Taylor Gabriel. Gabriel spent two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, totaling 862 yards and one touchdown with very bad quarterbacks throwing him the ball. Gabriel has familiarity with Kyle Shanahan's scheme, having excelled in it in 2014. Gabriel finished 2014 with 621 yards and one touchdown on just 36 receptions for an average of 17.3 yards per catch.

Falcons fans lamented the team's decision to waive Williams, but I assure you, nobody was more disappointed than Williams' parents.

Proud of our son Nick Williams Atlanta Falcons & thankful 2 Falcons Organization's belief in Nick @AtlantaFalcons pic.twitter.com/gwIrwMsCXG

— Mike Williams (@mwilliams01) September 3, 2016

This is adorable and sweet and very sad considering Nick's father tweeted this not long before Williams was waived, and it makes me happier that the team added him back to the practice squad.

Nevertheless, Williams is back. There's no reason for NFL.com to remove his player listing or anything, though they may actually want to modify his photo, because that isn't Nick Williams. 

Williams knows the scheme and is a solid safeguard in the event that one of the receivers on Atlanta's roster goes down with an injury. He's a hard worker and a good teammate, and he's a great addition to the practice squad. Welcome back, Nick.