Why Kyle Williams Deserves to Be on the Bills Wall of Fame
The Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame was created in 1980 to celebrate former players, coaches, and administrators who played essential roles in the team’s history. 31 inductees have been enshrined in the Wall of Fame since its inception. However, no one has been inducted since 1962 AFL MVP Cookie Gilchrist received the honor in 2017. With a new stadium being prepped for the 2026 season, why not add more Bills legends' names to the Wall of Fame? This edition will show why Kyle Williams deserves to be on the Wall of Fame.
Williams is as big of a fan favorite in Buffalo as you can find. The defensive tackle played his entire 13-year career for the Bills, and not only that, but he did it at a time when it was not ideal to wear a Bills uniform. Drafted in 2006, the seventh season of the infamous 17-season playoff drought, Williams had to overcome adversity. The Second-Team All-American from LSU was taken in the fifth round as the 10th defensive tackle off the board. Due to his being selected so late, his average salary during his rookie contract was $450,750. Contrast that with the nine million per year awarded to Mario Williams, that year’s first-overall pick and Kyle’s future Bills teammate, and one can see how he came a long way. His uphill battle to earn playing time can’t be overstated as he not only had to compete with that year’s 26th-overall pick John McCargo but also with Tim Anderson, who started 12 games in 2005, and Larry Tripplett, who had just signed a five-year contract with the Bills.
After earning the starting position on October 15th, 2006, the Ruston, Louisiana native never looked back, starting in every other game he was active in for the rest of his career. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2010 and subsequently earned a Pro Bowl nod in six of the seven following seasons when he was fully healthy. He was an integral part of the best pass-rushing season in Bills history; the aforementioned Mario and Kyle with Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes proved to be a fearsome four-defensive line, leading the way for a franchise-high 57 sacks in 2013. That season, Kyle produced a career-high 10.5 sacks to go along with 68 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. When it comes to Kyle, he’s an all-time great player for the franchise, so why not induct him to the Wall of Fame? Heck, he’s even been enshrined in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame since 2021 and was the Legend of the Game for the 2025 Wild Card Game versus the Broncos.
