Ryan Williams got his first taste of preseason action in Saturday’s 24-7 loss to the San Diego Chargers, and the third-year Arizona Cardinal said his two carries felt, well, “like two plays.”

“It felt good to finally get out there for a game, get some reps,” Williams added.

Williams ran for 10 yards on just two carries, and while the numbers are not exactly noteworthy, the fact that he feels good a couple of days after his first game action is reason to be pleased.

After all, Williams is fighting an uphill battle for a spot on the 53-man roster, one that has been made all the more difficult by his injury history.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said the coaches need to see more of Williams, so he will start the final preseason game Thursday, which is something the former second-round pick is fine with.

“Whatever they’re willing to give me to show this team that I still got it, and go from there,” he said.

As it stands, this may be Williams’ final shot with the team that drafted him out of Virginia Tech. Play well, and maybe they keep him as part of a crowded backfield that includes Rashard Mendenhall, Alfonso Smith, Stepfan Taylor and Andre Ellington. If not, who knows.

“Every game is big when you’re out there,” Williams said of the importance of this game. “But me and my history, with this training camp, this past training camp, haven’t really shown my face a lot.

“So it’s pretty big to go out there and show what I’m capable of doing.”

Williams, who said this camp — and his career — has been filled with far more downs than ups, feels like he has not had much of a chance to show what he can do. All the missed time has left him behind in trying to impress a new coaching staff.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to go prove yourself, and at this time — it was an important time that I missed a lot of time,” he said. “So I’ve just got to to out there and show what I’m capable of doing.”

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