Tag: Nick Williams

49ers officially sign veteran defensive lineman, release linebacker

The #49ers added a 10-year veteran on the defensive line.

The San Francisco 49ers announced a pair of roster moves ahead of Wednesday’s practice.

Veteran defensive lineman Nick Williams was officially signed. The team released linebacker Zeke Turner in a corresponding move.

Williams is a 10-year veteran who has played in 97 games with 48 starts. He was with the Chargers last season where 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley was the head coach.

His insertion into the DL room alleviates some of the pressure created by Kalia Davis’s knee injury that will keep him out the first half of the season.

Typically players added this late in camp are just there to help the team get through camp and the preseason, but Williams should have a legitimate shot at making the 53-man roster. The 49ers don’t have a ton of surefire rotational players at defensive tackle, and Williams’s experience gives him an opportunity to hit the ground running in the lead up to the second preseason game.

Turner’s release comes as a mild surprise. He was a special teams ace for the Cardinals before joining the 49ers this offseason as a free agent. San Francisco’s kick coverage units could use some help and Turner appeared ready to provide that. However, the 49ers are deep at linebacker and the opportunities for Turner to land on the roster were dwindling.

Now he’ll get a chance to catch on elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent.

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Colorado defensive ends coach Nick Williams steps down from Deion Sanders’ staff

Nick Williams, one of Colorado’s top recruiters, announced his resignation from Colorado’s staff

Defensive ends coach Nick Williams, who has been one of Colorado’s top recruiters over the past year, announced his resignation from Deion Sanders’ staff on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Williams announced Monday that he’s joining the staff at Syracuse, which recently hired Fran Brown as its new head football coach.

Williams thanked Coach Prime in a social media post:

“Thank you for your unwavering guidance and support during my journey with CU football,” Williams wrote. “You have selflessly dedicated a significant portion of your life to helping athletes and coaches such as myself. I sincerely appreciate all the time and effort you have put into me and my career. I am forever grateful for all the advice and endless encouragement you have given me.”

Unfortunately for the Buffs, it appears that they’re already feeling the impact of Williams’ departure. Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports reported early Sunday that four-star recruit KingJoseph Edwards did not take his official visit to Colorado over the weekend with Williams now gone.

Other Colorado coaches who’ve also left this offseason include offensive coordinator Sean Lewis and tight ends coach Tim Brewster. Lewis took the head coaching job at San Diego State while Brewster is now at Charlotte.

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Roster bubble update after first week of Chargers training camp

After a full week of training camp, here is an update on Chargers players fighting for a roster spot.

While highlight reels from superstar players tend to grab the headlines during NFL training camps, there are upwards of 40 players on every team fighting for their professional survival.

The Chargers are no exception, with a handful of final roster spots available for the taking.

Here are the ones making an impression.

Broncos sign wide receiver to replace KJ Hamler

After waiving KJ Hamler on Monday, the Broncos filled the open roster spot by signing WR Nick Williams on Tuesday.

After waiving wide receiver KJ Hamler with a non-football illness designation on Monday, the Denver Broncos filled Hamler’s former spot on the 90-man offseason roster by signing fellow receiver Nick Williams.

This will mark Williams’ third stint with the team this offseason. An undrafted rookie, Williams is a local prospect who played high school football at Cherry Creek and started his college career at CSU-Pueblo before later transferring to UNLV.

Williams was previously signed on June 5 and cut on June 13 and later re-signed on July 25 and cut on July 28. He will hope the third time’s the charm.

Broncos receiver Tim Patrick tore his Achilles on Monday but at the time of this writing, Patrick remains on the roster. Denver will likely place Patrick on injured reserve in the coming days, a move that will open up another roster spot.

Broncos Wire published a list of 10 free agent wide receivers the team might consider signing on Tuesday. Williams was at the top of the list.

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10 free agent wide receivers Broncos should consider signing

Going forward without Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler, the Broncos will need more depth at WR. Here’s a quick list of 10 free agents to monitor.

Following the losses of wide receivers Tim Patrick (Achilles) and KJ Hamler (pericarditis) on Monday, the Denver Broncos will likely sign at least one receiver in the coming days.

Hamler might be able to return to the team later this year, but Patrick is set to miss the entire 2023 season.

The biggest name free agent available is Julio Jones, but he is 34 years old and coming off a quiet season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other big-game players available are Jarvis Landry (30) and T.Y. Hilton (33), who have both seen their production drop in recent seasons.

One unflashy name to watch is Nick Williams, who has had two different stints with the Broncos this spring. Williams is a local prospect who played high school football at Cherry Creek and started his college career at CSU-Pueblo before later transferring to UNLV ahead of the 2022 college football season.

With those names in mind, here’s a quick look at the full list of 10 free agent wide receivers the Broncos should consider signing.

Broncos made 3 roster moves on Friday

For the second time this offseason, WR Nick Williams has been cut by the Broncos within a week of being signed.

Nick Williams just can’t catch a break.

The wide receiver grew up in Aurora and played high school football at Cherry Creek High School before starting his college career at CSU-Pueblo. He later transferred to UNLV. After graduating, he tried out for the Denver Broncos during rookie minicamp in May.

The Broncos later signed Williams in June. One week later, he was cut to make room for outside linebacker Frank Clark. Denver then re-signed Williams on July 25.

You can probably guess where this is going — three days after being signed, Williams has been cut yet again, this time to make room for new wide receiver Michael Bandy, who worked out for the team earlier this week.

Bandy played in the XFL this spring. Before that, he spent two years with the Los Angeles Chargers. He totaled 10 receptions for 89 yards in 10 games with the Chargers last season.

The Broncos also made a third roster move on Friday, activating wide receiver Kendall Hinton (knee) from the physically unable to perform list. Hinton is now eligible to practice. Outside linebacker Baron Browning (knee) remains on the PUP list to begin training camp.

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5 position battles to watch during Chargers training camp

While many starting spots are locked up before the Chargers take the field, here are a few that will be contested throughout the next month.

The Chargers officially begin training camp Wednesday with their first practice of the season.

With two new coordinators in Costa Mesa, things could look much different than they did last season as LA looks to finally turn a talented roster on paper into a legitimate contender.

While many starting spots are locked up before the Chargers take the field, here are a few that will be hotly contested throughout the next month.

Ranking the Chargers’ biggest offseason additions

Which Chargers acquisitions are poised to make the biggest impact in 2023?

The Chargers stayed fairly quiet this offseason, signing just three external free agents and holding on to each of their seven original draft picks.

Of those 10, which ones are poised to have the biggest impact on the 2023 squad?

Broncos cut WR Nick Williams, presumably to make room for OLB Frank Clark

The Broncos cut WR Nick Williams, presumably to make room for OLB Frank Clark.

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Story update: The Broncos officially signed outside linebacker Frank Clark to a one-year deal on Tuesday. See our original post below. 

The Denver Broncos cut rookie wide receiver Nick Williams on Tuesday, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Williams was presumably cut to make room for new pass rusher Frank Clark, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal last week. Clark has not yet officially signed — coach Sean Payton said after Tuesday’s minicamp practice that the team is still tying up a few loose ends and Clark will be officially signed before the start of training camp in July.

Williams (6-4, 220 pounds) is a local prospect who grew up in Aurora and played high school football at Cherry Creek High School. He started his college career at CSU-Pueblo (Division II), totaling 107 receptions for 1,428 yards and nine touchdowns in three years (35 games).

Ahead of his senior season last year, Williams transferred to UNLV. He totaled 28 catches for 435 yards and two scores in 12 games with the Rebels last fall. Williams will now become a free agent.

In other transaction news, former Broncos offensive lineman Hunter Thedford, who was cut in May, has signed with the Cleveland Browns.

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Colorado assistant makes ranking of Pac-12’s best recruiters

One of Coach Prime’s top assistants made a ranking of the Pac-12’s best recruiters

The Pac-12 Conference has been extremely busy this offseason on the football side of things. New head coaches have come in, most notably with Deion Sanders at Colorado and Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State, and lots of other moves are being made through the transfer portal.

The Pac-12’s quarterbacks might be the best group in all of college football, and this is the final year with USC and UCLA before they go off to the Big Ten. With rumors swirling about what the future of the conference will be like, recruiting is going to be very important, especially once the LA schools depart.

Erik Skopil of 247Sports gave a detailed look at his top 10 recruiters in the Pac-12: