Tag: Joejuan Williams

6 Patriots with the most to prove during training camp

These guys will need to show out in camp.

Training camp is right around the corner for the NFL. And, although there are a lot of questions about exactly how these practices will work, the players will still have to report by July 28.

After one of the strangest offseasons in the history of the sport, players are expected to be ready to go when that time comes.

In New England, there won’t be a public training camp like fans are accustomed to, but there will still be news that trickles out about what’s going on down in Foxboro.

It would be great to have the team firing on all cylinders and everybody playing at their peak, however, that’s just not possible. These six guys will need to be showing their best in the preseason because they all have something to prove.

Cam Newton

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Patriots brought Cam Newton in on an extremely team-friendly contract just a few weeks ago. From that moment, most fans believed that he became the favorite to be the starting quarterback for New England come the regular season.

Newton arguably has the most doubters of anybody on the Patriots’ roster from a national standpoint. Despite winning an MVP just a few seasons ago, the quarterback was cut after a few injuries that cost him almost all of last season. He was available for months and nobody took a chance on him.

Now, Newton has a chance to prove to everyone that he’s still a top quarterback in this league. That starts in training camp. He needs to take the starting job and run with it.

Jarrett Stidham

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Stidham was the presumed starter before Newton was brought in. Now, he’ll have to compete for that job. The former fourth-round pick will be looking to prove to his coach, his teammates and the fans that they were wrong about moving on from him so quickly.

It’s not impossible that Stidham wins the job. However, it does seem unlikely at this point.

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Joejuan Williams embracing the fierce competition in the Patriots secondary

Joejuan Williams is continuing to learn from his veteran teammates in the secondary.

If there is one position group where the New England Patriots are particularly strong, it’s their secondary. In turn, this helps the rookies learn from veterans. Cornerback Joejuan Williams is a perfect example of that.

A second-round pick in 2019, Williams was able to learn from the likes of Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty last season. Entering 2020, the Vanderbilt product wants to play in the National Football League for a long time.

Right now, he is just taking it all in. In a conversation with Patriots.com, Williams spoke about the benefits of learning from some of the most consistent players in the NFL during his rookie campaign. He’s ready to start the competition again.

“Of course you want to challenge and compete for time. Steph and the McCourtys… Overall my rookie year was a big learning year for me,” he said. “I didn’t play much at the beginning of the season and I started getting into the rotation on defense and special teams the last few games. That’s when I got most of my snaps.

“But it also gave me a chance to look up to the guys in front of me, watching them and following them was very helpful. Slowly but surely each week you try to build, and you keep doing that and building on top of that and I would try to get one percent better. It was a big learning curve and I’m still learning now.”

Williams came into the NFL after completing a three-year career at Vanderbilt. Recording 119 tackles and 25 pass deflections in three seasons of play, his best season came in 2018. That year, he recorded 48 tackles and four interceptions in addition to 13 pass deflections.

He aims to bring that same type of production to a deep New England secondary. Time will tell if the lessons he is learning will pay off.

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Report: Joejuan Williams will expand his role in secondary with Patriots

Similar to Devin McCourty, Joejuan Williams might have to make some changes.

Playing time in the secondary will be difficult for young New England Patriots this season.

The team has top-tier defensive backs and it’s the most solidified group on paper. Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty lead the cornerbacks, while Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung have command of the safeties. J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones are next up at cornerback, leaving little room for second-year Joejuan Williams to thrive.

The second-round pick is 6-foot-3, 212 pounds and still has value he can provide to the team. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, that value could expand into a role at safety — while still playing snaps at cornerback.

Here’s what Reiss said.

After playing 82 defensive snaps as a rookie, in part thanks to a well-stocked cornerback depth chart headlined by Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, a challenge has been presented to Williams this offseason. Essentially, according to those close to the situation, it can be boiled down to this: Can you be the jack-of-all-trades in the secondary?

It might be cornerback. It might be safety. Depending on the game plan and injury situation that week, it might be a little bit of both.

The Patriots will have an entirely new identity this season and defense will be especially important. The team doesn’t have Tom Brady to carry the offense and ultimately, the entire squad along. Because of the skilled secondary, it’s likely the group will hold a lot of weight in 2020.

Williams’ height at safety will give him the advantage in jump ball situations and against tight ends. Devin McCourty made the change from cornerback to safety and it worked out pretty well for him. If anyone can help a player make this transition — it’s Bill Belichick.

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Report: Patriots DB Joejuan Williams arrested on drug possession charges

Patriots DB Joejuan Williams was arrested on drug possession charges Thursday in Nashville, TN, according to WTVF. 

New England Patriots cornerback Joejuan Williams was arrested on drug possession charges Thursday in Nashville, TN, according to WTVF.

The 22-year-old rookie was stopped for speeding, when police found an unnamed controlled substance, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to the report.

He’s facing charges for speeding, possession of a controlled substance, possession of legend drugs without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Williams was drafted out of Vanderbilt in the second round by New England in 2019.

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