Unheralded receiver Edward Williams hoping to impress

Among the four guys named Williams on the Tennessee Titans' roster, none are less known than receiver Edward Williams.

But for a guy near the bottom of the depth chart at wide receiver, Williams is making the most of the opportunities that have come his way.

Williams, a 25-year-old undrafted rookie from Division II Lane College, had his most impressive day in camp Thursday as he moved up in the rotation for added reps, thanks to the absence of Justin McCareins, Roydell Williams and Biren Ealy from the Titans receiving corps.

Williams used the added work and made several impressive grabs against the St. Louis Rams defense in team, two-minute and seven-on-seven drills.

Among his catches included a nice touchdown grab in two-minute where backup quarterback Kerry Collins lofted a perfect pass against a Rams rush, and a catch from Collins in two-minute where Williams lost his shoe on the play, but not his concentration on the football.

“I’m starting to get more comfortable out there with the offense,” Williams said.

He said the extra work is giving him a chance to show what he can do.

“Injuries are a part of the game, and when guys get hurt, it gives the next guy an opportunity to step up,” Williams said.

Count Collins among those who like what Williams has shown of late.

“I like what I’ve seen out of him, especially since he came back from the [groin] injury,” Collins said. “He’s shown good separation. He’s a big guy. He’s physical and he runs good routes. He’s done very well this week.”

To say Williams has taken the road less traveled to earn an opportunity is an understatement. After all, there aren’t many 25-year-old rookies in many NFL camps.

Williams said his ACT score was low coming out of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala. He was recruited to Alabama State by former Tennessee State head coach L.C. Cole, but when Cole left the school, Williams decided to give up football.

He was out of the game for three or four years, attending school and working on his elementary education degree, when he received a phone call from Cole, who had resurfaced at Lane in Jackson, Tenn.

“I had decided I was through with football,” Williams said. “Then when Coach Cole got to Lane College, he called me and asked me if I wanted to come there and play. I had to think about it. But he stayed in touch with me, and left a couple of not-so-nice messages on my machine, so I finally decided to give football another try.”

At Lane, Williams was a three-year starter and caught 110 total passes, but his 6-4, 215-pound frame is enticing, and his skills are getting him noticed a bit, even in a crowded receiver field.

“He’s coming on,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’s got good speed and good hands, and he’s been improving. We brought him here because we felt like he had some skills, and he’s improving.”

INJURIES: Tight end Dwayne Blakley will miss about two weeks with a strained groin, according to Fisher.

“It is like any other position, you need to stay healthy and do things,” Fisher said. “But Dwayne has done a really good job so far. He’s been in the place he needs to be. He is a smart player, and is a good blocker. We know what he can do. That is why we brought him here.”

In addition to Blakley, cornerback Cary Williams was again out of practice, and will have to have his knee evaluated.

Safety Calvin Lowry missed the afternoon practice because of a lower back strain suffered in the morning special teams session. Fisher said the injury is not serious.

Fisher indicated that receivers Justin McCareins (hamstring), Biren Ealy (groin) and Roydell Williams (ankle), all of whom missed Thursday’s work, should be back Monday. That would put them out of Saturday’s preseason opener.

Elsewhere, defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth and Tony Brown were both rested, putting Antonio Johnson and Jason Jones with the starting unit. End

Dave Ball was moved inside to work as well on Thursday.

Kicker Rob Bironas and punter Josh Miller both remain out with groin injuries.

FIRST-TEAM WORK: Starters will play into the second quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Rams, and Fisher said he expects that both LenDale White and Chris Johnson will get an opportunity to work behind the first-team offensive line before backups come into the game.

RETURN GAME: Fisher indicated he has not made a final decision on who will return kickoffs and punts or what order the potential candidates will go in against the Rams.

Indications are that Chris Carr, Chris Davis (Florida State) and perhaps Brandon Jones or Lavelle Hawkins could return punts.

On kickoffs, Chris Johnson, Carr and Davis are among the candidates on kickoffs.