Buffalo Bills

Marcell Dareus checks into rehab; Bills cut troubled Karlos Williams

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:27 p.m. ET

Andre Vergara

The Buffalo Bills made some moves to clean up their act Saturday, excusing Marcell Dareus to enter rehab and cutting Karlos Williams.

Dareus, the Bills' highest-paid player with a $96 million contract that runs through 2021, was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. It's the second straight season that the star defensive tackle will miss the opener due to a violation.

Dareus, 26, said he missed a drug test, which counts as a positive under NFL rules. GM Doug Whaley said there's no timetable for the two-time Pro Bowler's return.

"All know is that when someone gets to the point when they say, `Hey I need help,' then it must be a big problem," teammate Kyle Williams said. "I care more about him than I do his football career, so I want to see him better."

Karlos Williams was let go after a disappointing offseason in which the second-year running back also was suspended for the first four games for violating the substance abuse policy.

Karlos Williams

"Hopefully, what happened today may be a wake-up call for him," Kyle Williams said.

The former Florida State star was considered a project as a fifth-round pick, due to the fact that he'd played safety up until 2013. But he was solid as a rookie, rushing for 517 yards and scoring nine touchdowns as a backup. He became the second player in NFL history to score a touchdown in his first six games while starter LeSean McCoy was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

However, Karlos Williams showed up to the team's minicamp so out of shape that he missed the first two weeks of training camp; he wasn't activated until Monday.

"He came in behind the eight ball and never caught up, and there were other guys on the roster who moved ahead of him," Whaley said. "In light of that, we thought, `Why hold on to him?'"

The Bills made moves to add depth at running back, drafting Arkansas' Jonathan Williams in the fifth round and signing Reggie Bush earlier this month. However, backup Mike Gillislee was being evaluated for a concussion after being hurt on a 6-yard run in the second quarter of Saturday's preseason game against the New York Giants.

Karlos Williams seemed to take the news well, taking to social media to thank the Bills and tweeting his support during Saturday's game.

Hearing #Bills released Karlos Williams "fully expecting" another #NFL team to pick him up. They loved his talent, soured on his attitude.
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) August 20, 2016

The Associated Press contributed to this report.