So what happened with former Cardinals running back Ryan Williams, a second-round pick in 2011 whom the team cut last week?
In the mind of G.M. Steve Keim, it was a simple analysis.
“I think you always want to try to always give the player the benefit of the doubt and try to see the process through,” Cardinals Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM on Tuesday. “He was bit early with the injury bug, then he came back and he was healthy.
“Quite frankly, [coach] Bruce [Arians] and his staff gave him several opportunities last season, and quite frankly, he was outperformed by some of the younger backs on our roster. . . . You had guys like Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor come in and play as well as they did, and Rashard [Mendenhall] still had some gas left in the tank. [Williams] just couldn’t get on the field, and really, in my mind, was just outperformed when it was all said and done.”
The move came as the Cardinals added a pair of running backs as undrafted free agents -- Tim Cornett and Zach Bauman. Williams was quickly signed by the Cowboys.
Williams, who missed all of his rookie season due to injury, gained 164 yards in 2012 but didn’t appear in a single game last year.
The development suggests that Arians simply didn’t believe in Williams, who’ll have a chance in Dallas to prove the Cardinals wrong.