Tag: DeShawn Williams

Former Panthers DL DeShawn Williams signs with Bills

Like many Panthers before him, DeShawn Williams is shuffling off to Buffalo.

The homecoming of DeShawn Williams didn’t last long.

As announced on Thursday, the veteran defensive lineman has signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. Williams, a Central, S.C. native, spent the 2023 season as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

Williams attended D.W. Daniel High School in Central and went on to play his college ball at nearby Clemson University. After going undrafted in 2015, he was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals—who he appeared in four games for during the 2016 campaign.

From there, he’d bounce around a bit—spending offseason and practice squad stints with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders from 2018 to 2020. Williams then returned to Denver, playing in 46 games between 2020 and 2022.

In his lone season with the Panthers, Williams recorded 10 starts over 16 games. He amassed 33 combined tackles (two for a loss), a sack, a pass defensed and seven quarterback hits.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ 2023 season

PFF’s best and worst grades for the Carolina Panthers in 2023

Pencils down, players!

With the 2023 test officially over, let’s see which Carolina Panthers received the highest and lowest grades from Pro Football Focus.

2024 free agents who may be playing their final game for the Panthers in Week 18

Week 18 may mark the end of an era for a few Carolina Panthers players.

Sunday will not only represent the end of a brutal 2023 season for the Carolina Panthers, but it may also mark the end of a few eras.

Here are 23 pending free agents who could be playing their last game for the Panthers in Week 18:

*List excludes pending free agents who are on the practice squad, who are on injured reserve and who have been ruled out

Panthers Week 14 injury report: 2 players ruled out vs. Saints

The Panthers have ruled out TE Hayden Hurst and DL DeShawn Williams for Week 14.

As expected, Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst will miss his fourth straight game.

The team has ruled out the sixth-year pass catcher for their Week 14 matchup against the New Orleans Saints due to his concussion. Hurst, per his father Jerry, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia by an independent neurologist.

On Thursday, Hurst tweeted the concussion is not a career-ending injury and that he hopes to make it back to the field for the last few outings of the season. He has not played in a game since sustaining the concussion in Week 10.

Carolina also ruled out defensive lineman DeShawn Williams. Williams has not participated in practice all week due to a knee injury.

Here’s the final injury report in its entirety:

Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game status
CB Troy Hill Rest/ankle DNP Limited Limited –
OT Taylor Moton Rest/knee DNP Limited Full –
WR Adam Thielen Rest DNP –
DT DeShawn Williams Knee DNP DNP DNP Out
S Vonn Bell Shoulder Limited Limited Full –
C Bradley Bozeman Ankle Limited Limited Limited Questionable
S Jeremy Chinn Quadriceps Limited Limited Limited –
OLB Yetur Gross-Matos Hamstring Limited Limited Limited Questionable
OLB Marquis Haynes Sr. Back Limited Limited Full Questionable
CB Jaycee Horn Hamstring Limited Limited Limited –
TE Hayden Hurst Concussion Limited Limited Limited Out
TE Stephen Sullivan Shoulder Limited Limited Full Questionable
TE Tommy Tremble Hip Limited Limited Full Questionable
OLB Amaré Barno Ankle Full Full Full Questionable
OLB DJ Johnson Personal DNP –

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Panthers keep 4 players out of practice on Wednesday

Panthers DT DeShawn Williams was out of practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury.

The Carolina Panthers held out four players from practice on Wednesday.

One of those absentees was defensive lineman DeShawn Williams, who was listed with a knee injury. Williams, who has recorded 24 combined tackles and a sack, has played in all 12 games for Carolina this season.

Also out was the veteran trio of wide receiver Adam Thielen, right tackle Taylor Moton and cornerback Troy Hill. All received rest days for the afternoon.

Here’s the first official injury report for the team’s Week 14 matchup against the New Orleans Saints:

Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game status
CB Troy Hill Rest/ankle DNP
OT Taylor Moton Rest/knee DNP
WR Adam Thielen Rest DNP
DT DeShawn Williams Knee DNP
S Vonn Bell Shoulder Limited
C Bradley Bozeman Ankle Limited
S Jeremy Chinn Quadriceps Limited
OLB Yetur Gross-Matos Hamstring Limited
OLB Marquis Haynes Sr. Back Limited
CB Jaycee Horn Hamstring Limited
TE Hayden Hurst Concussion Limited
TE Stephen Sullivan Shoulder Limited
TE Tommy Tremble Hip Limited
OLB Amaré Barno Ankle Full

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Panthers players react to 1st win of 2023 season

There was plenty of excitement to go around following the Panthers’ first win of the season.

The Carolina Panthers entered their Week 8 matchup against the Houston Texans without a single win in the 2023 season. Heck, if you even want to sprinkle in their three preseason outings, they were 0-9 on the campaign.

But that 0 had to go on Sunday, as the Panthers pulled out a memorable 15-13 victory. And, as expected, there was plenty of relief and jubilation to go around on the field, inside the locker room and on social media.

DeShawn Williams on Panthers’ addition of Justin Houston: We gon’ get home

DL DeShawn Williams on Panthers’ addition of Justin Houston: Now it’s like, pick your poison

A Central, S.C. native, new Carolina Panthers defensive lineman DeShawn Williams has been all about the homecoming this offseason. And now, he’s excited to get home in a slightly different kind of way.

The fifth-year veteran was asked about the addition of outside linebacker and four-time Pro Bowler Justin Houston after Tuesday’s practice. What followed was a scary prospect to listen to, at least for opposing offenses.

“Man had 9.5 sacks at 33,” Williams said in amazement. “Just to have a guy that has that experience of playin’ . . . a high-caliber player and the knowledge of the game—it’s huge. He can groom guys like a Yetur [Gross-Matos], even myself. Everybody’s learnin’. A DB [Derrick Brown], a Shy [Tuttle], Henry [Anderson]. Just the whole line. Just havin’ that x-factor, that extra threat.

“Everybody know what [Brian] Burns can do. They gon’ slide him, damn near triple-team, double-team him. But now you got another guy on the edge. Now it’s like, pick your poison. Now us, rushin’ together good on the inside, [Todd] Wash givin’ us things—damned if you do, damned if you don’t. You gotta pick somebody you gonna double-team. We gon’ get home.”

In addition to the knowledge, Houston comes to Carolina with 111.5 career sacks—the fifth-most amongst all active players. And if Williams is right, he’ll definitely be adding to that total this season.

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‘Madden NFL 24’ ratings for Panthers defensive linemen revealed

Did Derrick Brown’s breakout 2022 season earn him a breakout rating in “Madden NFL 24?”

Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown burst onto the scene this past season, putting forth a career campaign that finally made him look like the seventh overall pick the franchise drafted him to be. So, did that reflect in his new “Madden NFL 24” rating?

Here is Brown’s and the rest of the Carolina d-line’s numbers:

Panthers DL DeShawn Williams: ‘Something special cooking’

New Panthers DL DeShawn Williams believes there’s something special cooking up in Carolina.

If the Carolina Panthers make a run in 2023, then we’ll have to look back at this tweet:

Defensive lineman DeShawn Williams has seemingly been loving his time in Charlotte thus far. After what may have been a sour end to a three-year run with the Denver Broncos, the Central, S.C. native and Clemson University product returned home on a one-year, $1.08 million pact.

That deal was reached due in part to Williams’ career campaign in 2022. The 30-year-old posted bests in sacks (4.5), quarterback hits (eight), tackles for a loss (four) and passes defensed (three) over 15 starts.

His homecoming was also made possible to his connection with Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who spent that 2022 season coaching up the big man in Denver. Williams has already gone on record with his excitement for his new team, his (kinda) new defense and the new objective.

“The players that we have and the vision that ‘E’ has for this team is scary,” he said during voluntary minicamp in April. “But, obviously, we have to put in the work each and every day. And that’s why we’re doing this minicamp—to lay the foundation and the groundwork each and every day.

“Right now, it’s not gonna be perfect—but we takin’ one percent better. That’s what Frank [Reich] says every day—one percent better. And we gettin’ better right now.”

Well, they must loading up pretty quickly based off that tweet.

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Panthers DL DeShawn Williams: This defense is going to be scary

Panthers DL DeShawn Williams, who said he was brought to Carolina by Ejiro Evero, believes the combination of players and the vision on defense is a scary one.

With the switch from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 one, the Carolina Panthers defense will have to answer quite a few questions heading into the 2023 season. But there’s no question, at least for DeShawn Williams, about how good the group can be.

After finishing up Wednesday’s installment of voluntary minicamp, the new defensive lineman was asked about coordinator Ejiro Evero—with whom he just worked under in Denver. Williams went on to laud the meat and potatoes of Evero’s system.

“It’s the same defense that I ran,” he said. “So I know the ins and outs of this defense. The players that we have and the vision that ‘E’ has for this team is scary. But, obviously, we have to put in the work each and every day. And that’s why we’re doing this minicamp—to lay the foundation and the groundwork each and every day.

“Right now, it’s not gonna be perfect—but we takin’ one percent better. That’s what Frank [Reich] says every day—one percent better. And we gettin’ better right now.”

Williams got himself better in 2022, when he had a career campaign for the Broncos. The big 6-foot-1, 292-pounder—who signed a one-year deal with Carolina—chalked up bests in sacks (4.5), quarterback hits (eight), tackles for a loss (four) and passes defensed (three) over 15 starts.

And now, he—and the rest of his new crew—are working the scary hours to get where Evero wants them to be.

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