When the Buccaneers practiced Wednesday, it felt like they were getting a new Cadillac.

Running back Cadillac Williams returned to practice for the first time since tearing up his knee early last season. Now that Williams has practiced, the Buccaneers have three weeks to decide whether to activate him or place him on injured reserve.

Early reviews of Williams were glowing.

“It’s just awesome to see Cadillac Williams, who’s a guy who has been through so much in his brief career as far as injury is concerned,” said Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia. “He’s a great player with great abilities. He’s worked extremely hard to overcome the injury he sustained last year. I think it’s a great boost, a great lift for this team to see a guy like that come back, and it’s not necessarily even knowing as to what capacity he’ll have on the field with us. But him coming back and being out on the field, I think it is a boost for the running back position just from an energy level.”

Asked before he took the field for the Wednesday practice if he were ready to do everything a running back needs to, Williams said: “Pretty much close, but like I was telling the trainers, I haven’t been out there with different guys flying around and running at me. I’m still kind of excited to see how I react to that, making guys miss here and there. It’s not just me working with bags and cutting and things like that. I’m looking forward to it.”