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The Cincinnati Bengals place much on the shoulders of Jonah Williams in 2020.
Williams, the team’s first-round pick last year, finds himself tasked with manning left tackle in front of Joe Burrow next season after missing all of his rookie year.
So naturally, Williams has turned to one of the modern greats for guidance. He told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com he’s been working with Joe Staley:
“It’s a huge benefit for me. Joe’s a guy I like to model my game after. Joe’s extremely athletic but he’s also extremely technical and a very smart player. That’s kind of the tact I like to take. Just being the most prepared guy out there. There’s a lot of nuggets out there that I can take from him and be able to combine them with Coach Turner’s coaching and then hear it from Joe.
Staley, a first-round pick in 2007, played from 2007-2019, making six Pro Bowls and getting a nod on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, among other accolades.
Williams had previously worked with Staley as part of his pre-draft process.
It’s good company for Williams to work with, to say the least. Otherwise, the former Alabama star says he’s as ready to go as he can be given the unorthodox nature of the offseason.
He’s also looking forward to the pressure of his play going under the microscope as he protects Joe Burrow: “Everybody is going to be watching me if I hinder him from doing his job. I don’t take any pressure off myself. I think it’s exciting.”
Again — Staley is quite the guy to learn from and model his game after as he gets ready.
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