Tag: Darious Williams

Darious Williams’ 3-year contract with Rams is worth up to $30 million

Darious Williams’ deal with the Rams has a base value of $22.5 million and is worth up to $30 million

Needing cornerback help, the Los Angeles Rams wasted little time addressing that hole on their roster in free agency. They agreed to a three-year deal with Darious Williams on Tuesday morning, bringing back the veteran cornerback after he spent two years in Jacksonville.

The terms of his contract weren’t revealed initially, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared the value of it on Tuesday. According to Rapoport, Williams’ contract has a base value of $22.5 million and is worth up to $30 million, likely through incentives.

That’s similar to the deal he got from the Jaguars in 2022 when he left the Rams; that contract was for three years and was worth $30 million. For a 30-year-old cornerback, Williams’ deal with the Rams is pretty sizable still.

Williams had four interceptions and 19 passes defensed last season with the Jaguars, bouncing back after two straight years without an interception. He broke out with the Rams in 2020 when he had four interceptions and 14 passes defensed.

Former Jaguars CB Darious Williams rejoining Rams

After a two-year stint with the Jaguars, cornerback Darious Williams is going back to his former stomping grounds.

A week after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, veteran cornerback Darious Williams is set to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams on a three-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Williams began his career with the Baltimore Ravens, but was waived early in his rookie season and was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams where he stayed for the next three-and-a-half seasons. Williams played 43 games with the Rams and recorded six interceptions before becoming a free agent in 2022.

The Jaguars signed Williams to a three-year, $30 million contract, but he played only two of those years. Despite a strong second season in Jacksonville, Williams was released by the team earlier in March to clear $11.5 million in additional salary cap space.

As a player who was released, the contract Williams receives from the Rams won’t affect the Jaguars’ chances at getting a compensatory draft pick in 2024, which is unlikely anyway given the team’s activity Monday.

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Rams, CB Darious Williams finalizing 3-year deal

Darious Williams is heading back to the Rams on a three-year deal, reuniting with his former team

As soon as Darious Williams was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason, fans and analysts linked him to the Los Angeles Rams – the team he spent three-plus years with from 2018-2021. It took a week but Williams is heading back to L.A. to play for the Rams again.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Rams and Williams are finalizing a deal, which is expected to be for three years. The terms of the contract were not yet disclosed but Williams is returning to the team he broke out with in 2020 when he was one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the NFL.

In two years with the Jaguars, Williams played all 34 games and made 29 starts. He intercepted four passes and had 35 deflections, returning one of his interceptions for a touchdown. Despite being undersized at only 5-foot-9, Williams is a talented outside cornerback capable of matching up with bigger receivers because of the way he plays the ball in the air.

He now joins a cornerback group that includes Derion Kendrick, Cobie Durant and Tre Tomlinson, though it remains to be seen who will be the starters next season.

Report: Giants set for visit with free-agent CB Darious Williams

The Giants will reportedly host free-agent cornerback Darious Williams for a visit on Sunday.

The New York Giants are reportedly set to meet with former Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback, Darious Williams.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Giants are bringing Williams in for a visit on Sunday. Williams was recently cut by the Jaguars in a cap-saving move.

The 30-year-old cornerback was originally an undrafted free-agent signing of the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. He has also appeared in games with the Los Angeles Rams and Jaguars.

In 2023, Williams tallied four interceptions and 19 passes defensed. He was targeted 100 times in coverage and gave up a completion rate of 55.0% and surrendered a career-low passer rating of 63.9.

The Giants are in the market for cornerback help this offseason, with three of their secondary members from 2023 hitting free agency, a group that includes Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes and Keion Crossen.

Spotrac estimates that Williams will receive a two-year deal worth $25.6 million, which works out to an annual average salary of $12.8 million.

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2 recently released cornerbacks named as possible fits for the Commanders

Two veteran cornerbacks were named as potential fits for the Commanders, including one of the NFL’s best in recent years.

How will the Washington Commanders improve the cornerback position under new head coach Dan Quinn?

Washington spent a first-round pick on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in the 2023 NFL draft, and he struggled. Third-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste took a step back in 2023 after a promising second season.

As he had been for the previous three seasons, veteran Kendall Fuller remained the Commanders’ top cornerback.

Now, Fuller is a free agent. He’s also 29, and his knee has some injury concerns. Additionally, Fuller wants a raise from the $10 million he earned annually over the past four seasons, and that raise would be warranted. While the Commanders would love to keep Fuller, he likely makes more sense for a contender on a short-term deal.

Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. come from Dallas, where a Cowboys cornerback led the NFL in interceptions in two of the previous three years. DaRon Bland set an NFL record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season.

Whitt and secondary coach Tom Donatell’s primary goal is to fix Forbes. In his introductory press conference, Whitt said he liked Forbes coming out in last year’s draft.

Regardless, the Commanders must bring in veteran help. Some options exist depending on how much Washington wants to pay.

CBS Sports named 10 recent salary cap casualties and where they could best fit. Two cornerbacks, including Xavien Howard, were named potential fits for the Commanders.

Cornerback is a premier position in today’s NFL, and Howard has been one of the best for years now. He turns 31 in July, but is a four-time Pro Bowler and led the league in interceptions twice — including a 10-interception campaign in 2020. Howard’s streak of three straight Pro Bowls was snapped this past season, but he still recorded 12 passes defensed and one interception in 13 games played.

Howard seems like a long shot for Washington. He will probably earn more than the Commanders are willing to pay. General manager Adam Peters and Quinn will likely target a cheaper veteran and use the draft to add another corner as high as the second round. 

The other potential target was Darious Williams, recently released by the Jaguars.

One of the more underrated cap casualties so far. Williams was set to enter the final season of a three-year, $30 million contract with the Jags. He didn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, and his release saves Jacksonville $11.5 million against the cap. While Williams turns 31 this month, he tied for the team lead in interceptions this past season with four. He will absolutely have a market.

Williams is absolutely the type of player Washington could target on a one- or two-year deal with the Commanders.

Washington will be active in free agency, but don’t expect the Commanders to go big-game hunting, instead focusing on team fits and familiarity.

CB Darious Williams would check some boxes for the Lions after being released by Jaguars

Veteran CB Darious Williams would check some boxes for the Lions after being released by Jaguars

An unexpected addition to the free agent ranks could be one that really intrigues the Detroit Lions.

On Tuesday, several reports indicated the Jacksonville Jaguars will cut loose veteran cornerback Darious Williams. It’s a cost-cutting move for the Jaguars, shaving $11.5 million off their salary cap figure for 2024. Williams was due a $12 million salary in the final year of the three-season deal he signed in Jacksonville in 2022.

The Jaguars certainly aren’t cutting Williams, now 31, for performance purposes. He was the team’s best secondary player and posted the second-highest grade of any Jaguars defender from PFF. Williams broke up 19 passes, good for second in the entire league. He picked off four of those, including a pick-six against the Falcons.

Any cornerback with some recent accomplishment should be on the Lions’ radar, but Williams is a special case. He’s got deep ties to the team, even if he’s never set foot in Ford Field.

Williams’ position coach in Jacksonville was Deshea Townsend, who is now the Lions defensive passing game coordinator and DBs coach. Before his time in Jacksonville, Williams was a Brad Holmes scouting find for the Los Angeles Rams. Holmes saw something in the 5-foot-9 corner from UAB and it led to the Rams claiming him as an undrafted rookie off waivers from Baltimore back in 2018. He was a full-time starter by the end of 2019.

His lack of size on the outside hasn’t proven to be too much of an issue; Williams has allowed just over a 52 percent completion rate and only two touchdowns while playing outside over the last three seasons — much better than he fared in the slot.

A short 31-year-old isn’t a long-term solution for the Lions and their outside CB woes, but Williams has the potential to be a very effective short-term bandage, a la Rashean Mathis or Robert Bailey from Detroit’s past.

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Rams have golden opportunity to bring back CB Darious Williams

With the Jaguars releasing Darious Williams, the Rams have a chance to bring him back to LA

It was perfectly reasonable that the Los Angeles Rams let Darious Williams leave in free agency two years ago. He signed a $30 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, returning to the city where he was born and raised.

Williams struggled in his first season with the Jaguars but he was great last year, intercepting four passes with a career-best 19 passes defensed to go along with two forced fumbles. Coming off that standout season, the Rams have a golden opportunity to reunite with the talented cornerback.

The Jaguars are releasing Williams in a cap-saving move, giving them more room to tag Josh Allen and potentially re-sign Calvin Ridley. Williams will become a free agent and the Rams should be among the teams interested in signing him.

Now 30 years old, Williams won’t command a deal like the one he signed in 2022. He’ll probably earn less than the $10 million per year he was making in Jacksonville and he may even settle for a one-year pact.

If Los Angeles can get him for around $5-7 million for one season, it should be a no-brainer. Williams was one of the most underrated cornerbacks in 2020 when he picked off four passes and allowed just 504 yards in coverage, and he played similarly well in 2023 after a couple of subpar seasons in 2021 and 2022.

According to PFF, he gave up a completion rate of just 59.3% in coverage last season, allowing a passer rating of only 69.6. His coverage grade of 85.3 was the fourth-best of any cornerback in the NFL.

At 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds, he’s by no means a physically imposing or highly athletic cornerback. But where Williams makes his money is with his instincts and ball skills. He plays the ball like a wide receiver and when afforded the chance to drop back in zone coverage, he uses his eyes to read the quarterback and break on the ball.

He’s incredibly smart, too, as evidenced by this play in the postseason against the Seahawks, reading the screen pass like a book and picking it off for six points.

He proved last season that he didn’t lose those impressive traits in Jacksonville. Against the Falcons, he perfectly read Desmond Ridder and beat the receiver to his spot on an in-breaking route, returning the interception for a touchdown.

The following week against Buffalo, he tracked the deep ball by Josh Allen and took it away from the receiver, hauling it in for a spectacular interception.

Despite not having the beset speed or prototypical height for the position, Williams simply makes plays on the ball and comes up with takeaways. That’s something the Rams could use in the secondary.

Ahkello Witherspoon had three interceptions last season, but he’ll be a free agent this month. Derion Kendrick had one pick in what was a disappointing season, and he’s hardly certain to start in 2024. Those were the only two Rams cornerbacks with interceptions last season. Williams had as many as all of the Rams’ corners combined.

He’d be a low-risk signing for a team in desperate need of cornerback help, and it certainly wouldn’t prevent them from adding another corner or two in the draft.

Jaguars to release CB Darious Williams, clearing $11.5M in cap space

The Jaguars will part ways with Darious Williams, who finished second in the NFL in passes defended during the 2023 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will release cornerback Darious Williams to clear $11.5 million in salary cap space, according Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Williams, who turns 31 this month, signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars in 2022 with the thought that he’d take over as the slot cornerback. After struggling in the role, Williams was moved outside late in his first season with the team and thrived.

In 2023, Williams put together a strong season. He had the second-highest grade of any Jaguars defender from PFF and finished second in the NFL in pass defenses with 19.

The Jaguars have made no effort to hide the fact that they want to add talent at cornerback, though. During his press conference at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke called cornerback a “group that we need to address.”

Williams was due to count $12 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap in 2024 and will now count as $500,000 in dead money. In two seasons in Jacksonville, he recorded four interceptions, two forced fumbles, 35 passes defended and 106 total tackles.

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In which 2023 games did each Jaguars defensive star shine brightest?

The Jaguars’ defense tailed off late in the year, but it still had some impressive moments in 2023.

Before the 2023 season began, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive unit was expected to be a weakness. But there were a handful of weeks when defense won the game for the Jaguars.

When Jacksonville was at its best en route to an 8-3 start to the year, the defense was a key piece to the team’s success. The Jaguars’ played well as a unit, but the players stepped up individually at different points throughout the season.

While the defense eventually came unraveled and struggled down the stretch, here were the best single-game performances for each of the Jaguars’ key defensive players during the 2023 season:

It sure sounds like new Jaguars DC Ryan Nielsen wants cornerback help

Was Ryan Nielsen’s press conference a hint that cornerback will be a top priority for the Jaguars this offseason?

In his first press conference, new Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen kept his cards close to the vest. Sure, he talked about his desire to build an “attacking and aggressive” defense, but there aren’t exactly coordinators talking about constructing a cordial, peaceful defense.

When asked a specific question about his vision for Travon Walker’s role, Nielsen only said “we’ll put our guys in the best positions for them to have success.”

But if there was a moment when Nielsen actually pulled back the curtain a bit, it was when he was asked about generating pressure on third down. While the Jaguars finished the 2023 season 25th in the NFL in sacks, it wasn’t the team’s pass rushers that Nielsen pointed to as the issue.

“The first thing we have to do is affect the quarterback in that we can’t allow the ball to come out of his hand quickly,” Nielsen said. “Then the rush doesn’t get there. If the coverage has holes in it or give an easy throw, it doesn’t matter who we’ve got coming off the edge. We’ve got a couple of good edge guys here. We have to get the quarterback to hold it.”

It seems Nielsen has no concern with Walker and Josh Allen getting to the quarterback. He’s instead focused on making sure the team’s defensive backs aren’t getting beat off the line of scrimmage.

Tyson Campbell struggled through injuries for much of the 2023 season, but has a good chance at being a cornerstone of the Jaguars defense moving forward. Darious Williams had a much better year than Campbell, but has a much murkier future in Jacksonville due mostly to an $11.5 million 2024 cap hit that could result in his release.

The rest of the Jaguars’ depth chart at cornerback consists of players they found late in the NFL draft (Gregory Junior, Montaric Brown, Christian Braswell, Erick Hallett) and undrafted free agency (Tre Herndon).

When the Jaguars hunted for talent at the midseason trade deadline, cornerback was one of the spots they considered to be most in need of a boost before eventually addressing the offensive line instead.

There’s no doubt that the team’s lackluster pass rushing depth is an issue. Nielsen has seemingly identified the team’s cornerbacks as the higher priority, though.

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