Riders release Sam and Marquise Williams

Riders release Sam and Marquise Williams

Published: Monday, May 28th 2018, 3:05pm

Riders make roster moves

As is usually the case after the first preseason game, the roster cuts have begun. The Riders made 4 cuts today, a couple of which were rather surprising

They released the following:

International DL – Justin Horton

International RB – Josh McPhearson

International QB – Marquise Williams

International DB – Sam Williams

The moves that surprised me the most would be Marquise Williams and Sam Williams. Josh McPhearson was clearly behind both Marcus Thigpen and Zac Stacey, and with Stacey having a solid performance yesterday, McPhearson became expendable. Justin Horton had a tough road to climb to make the roster on a stacked defensive line.

Marquise Williams showed promise last season when given opportunity, but had a rough outing yesterday in Edmonton. Goes to show you just how quickly things can change, as some had Williams pegged as the lock at #3 before camp got under way. He was passed by Watford in camp and BJ Daniels on the field yesterday. Only room for 4 QBs on the roster, and Williams was pushed to a distant fifth.

Sam Williams surprises me only in that it wasn’t Chris Lyles that wasn’t the first defensive back cut. He showed some promise last year, but there are only so many spots in the defensive backfield. Derrick Moncrief had the leg up on a starter spot at Sam LB, but I definitely expected Sam Williams to at least make the practice roster.

What are your thoughts on these moves?