Tag: trill williams

Dolphins injury update: 3 players listed as doubtful for Sunday vs. Giants

Two wide receivers were removed completely from the injury report Friday as well.

The Miami Dolphins held their final practice of the week in preparation for their Week 13 matchup with the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

There were three players who were limited on Friday that are listed as doubtful on the injury report, including running back Phillip Lindsay (ankle), tight end Adam Shaheen (knee), cornerback Trill Williams (hamstring).

Shaheen will likely be replaced by rookie Hunter Long again who played a career-high 24 snaps against Carolina last week. Maybe this will be the week he gets his first reception.

If the newly-arrived Lindsay can’t go, the Dolphins have plenty of options to turn to, including Salvon Ahmed, Patrick Laird, and Duke Johnson.

Safety Brandon Jones (ankle/elbow) and linebacker Jaelan Phillips (hip) were also limited Friday and were listed as questionable for the game.

Jones missed last week but said he was preparing to play throughout this week, and Phillips will probably play, as he was limited throughout practice last week and still appeared in the game.

Safety Jevon Holland (ankle) was a full participant Friday, and right guard Robert Hunt (back) was upgraded from limited to full. Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle (glute) and Preston Williams (knee) were removed completely from the report Friday which is great news for Miami.

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Safety Brandon Jones leads Dolphins list of inactives vs. Panthers

Adam Shaheen and Trill Williams are out as well.

Miami will be without one of their up-and-coming defensive players for their Week 12 matchup with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, as Brandon Jones will be inactive due to ankle and elbow injuries that limited him in practice throughout the week.

Jones joins cornerback Trill Williams, safety Will Parks, linebacker Darius Hodge, tight end Adam Shaheen, and defensive lineman John Jenkins as players who won’t see the field in the game.

The safety’s injury is a huge hit to a secondary who likely would’ve been putting extra pressure on quarterback Cam Newton frequently in this contest. Now, Jevon Holland will probably be asked to do even more than he already was.

Rookie tight end Hunter Long will be filling in for Shaheen this week and will probably get his biggest workload of the season, as he’s only appeared in three games this year. This will be a great opportunity for Miami to see what they have in him, even if he’s the third tight end.

Another player who has been a healthy scratch for most of the season, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, is active for this game as well. He may be helping out in some different areas with the Dolphins putting Jamal Perry on injured reserve earlier in the week.

Miami kicks off against Carolina at 1 p.m. on Fox.

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Dolphins injury update: 13 players listed for Wednesday’s practice

Adam Shaheen and Elijah Campbell didn’t participate.

Ahead of their matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins held their first practice of the week on Wednesday.

After practice, the team released their injury report that listed 13 players with varying participation levels.

Tight end Adam Shaheen (knee) and defensive back Elijah Campbell (toe/knee) did not participate Wednesday. Campbell had been dealing with a toe last week, but the knee is new. Shaheen’s injury was suffered during the game against the Jets.

Seven players were listed as limited participants including cornerback Xavien Howard (rest), cornerback Byron Jones (rest), safety Jevon Holland (knee/ankle), safety Brandon Jones (ankle/elbow), defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (quad), linebacker Elandon Roberts (hip), and cornerback Trill Williams (hamstring).

Of those, only Brandon Jones and Shaheen were listed last week.

Linebacker Jerome Baker (knee), guard Robert Jones (wrist), safety Eric Rowe (hip), and wide receiver Preston Williams (knee) were all practicing fully with no limitations.

Holland’s injury is probably the most concerning as far as impact goes. If he’s out that would put more pressure on Rowe and inexperienced members of the secondary.

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Which Dolphins rookies made number changes for Dolphins after cuts?

Which Dolphins rookies made number changes for Dolphins after cuts?

The challenges that come with an NFL rookie’s first season in the NFL are endless. Where is the facility? Where are the meeting rooms? What kind of living accommodations can you find? Trying to learn the playbook while trying to earn a starting spot — or sometimes just ensure you make the team.

But for rookies who subscribe to the idea that you must look good to play good, playing with something other than your college number can be a tough pill to swallow, too.

And for one member of the Miami Dolphins, that last problem is no longer a problem at all. It was announced on Thursday that Dolphins 2nd-round pick Jevon Holland is having a reunion with his college number — Holland was originally set to wear No. 22 but has since switched to take on No. 8; the same number he wore throughout his tenure with the Oregon Ducks.

Holland offered a very simple tweet to mark the occasion.

No. 8 was originally claimed by veteran WR Allen Hurns — who is on injured reserve and will miss the 2021 season as a result.

But Holland wasn’t the only Dolphins rookie to reunite with his college number on Thursday. Fellow defensive back Trill Williams is also taking advantage of the NFL’s more loose rules for numbers assignments and his shedding his training camp number (an abysmal assignment of No. 51 for a defensive back) and is reverting back to No. 6 for the 2021 season.

Williams also offered a celebratory post on social media to mark the reunion.

Unlike Holland, Williams’ primary focus this past month hasn’t been on the starting lineup. It’s been on just making the roster. But with the Dolphins farewell to many players this past week and even cutting Jamal Perry from the secondary after the first round of waivers, it is safe to say Williams has some stability for the season to come. And with his college number in hand, we’ll now see if he can carve out a role on Sundays for the Dolphins.

Watch: Dolphins battle over ‘best Spider-Man’ question on Camp Cam

Watch: Dolphins battle over ‘best Spider-Man’ question on Camp Cam

Poor Trill Williams. He never stood a chance.

No, we’re not talking about Williams’ bid to make the Dolphins’ 53-man roster; as it appears that the undrafted rookie is actually in quite the battle for a roster spot and could very well find himself surviving the cuts. We’re talking about the comic book throw down and battle he faced against Miami Dolphins receivers Jakeem Grant and DeVante Parker over a very simple question:

‘Who is the best Spider-Man?’

This comes as the latest (and presumably final) installment of a series of social media videos branded #CampCam by the team; a look onto the practice field in Miami Gardens to provide fans with a fun, behind the scenes look at the players’ chemistry and interactions with one another. And Williams walked into a buzzsaw.

You had Robert Hunt and Austin Jackson claiming themselves as the best Spider-Man in cameo appearances, but the highlight was Williams vouching for current Marvel casting Tom Holland as the best Spider-Man, only to face a passionate rebuttal from the notorious buddy combo of Grant and Parker in favor of the original casting, Tobey Maguire.

When the captions read “*All arguing at once*”, that’s when you know you’ve got good entertainment on hand.

The bad news for Williams? He didn’t stand much of a chance in getting his argument heard for the world in regards to the quality of the Spider-Man castings.

The good news? He’s going to have a much better chance to make a statement this afternoon when the Dolphins play the Bengals amid his bid to make the team in the days to come.

Dolphins’ Trill Williams focused on process amid push for roster spot

Dolphins’ Trill Williams focused on process amid push for roster spot

The process of securing a 53-man roster spot for any fringe player is an exhausting one in the NFL. This upcoming week’ a third of every NFL’s roster is going to learn that they didn’t make the team — and although there are opportunities to stick via the practice squad, the prestige and opportunity that comes with making the active roster is what every player dreams of.

For Dolphins defensive back Trill Williams, this isn’t necessarily the path you’d have guessed he’d be on one year ago — when he entered what would be his final season at Syracuse as a perceived mid-round draft prospect. But an ankle injury derailed his medials and eventually prompted him to go undrafted. From there, he was signed to the Saints and in-house for three days before getting pushed to waivers; where Miami struck.

All Williams has done since is make plays.

But he’s still facing the challenge of making the roster — a daunting task in a loaded Dolphins secondary. But Williams is focused on staying driven by his path and controlling the process: practicing hard, making plays and being committed to improvement.

“I feel like I went out there (at camp) and did everything I could and I put my best foot forward trying to make this team. It’s really hard. We’ve got a lot of great DBs on this team. All I can do is just go out there and give it my all. That’s the only thing I can do,” said Williams on Friday.

His all is enough to create quite the stir in trying to keep him off the roster. But Williams will have one final stand in his bid to make the team: a preseason contest tomorrow afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals — with presumably plenty of playing time on the table given the status of many Dolphins starters as sitting for this game.

Williams will know his fate by Tuesday afternoon, along with the rest of the fringe players. He’s an easy player to root for and, given his unorthodox path, not likely someone that would survive the waivers to get stashed on the practice squad. So Miami will need to thing long and hard about his future. But for Williams, he’s focused on the process. Whether or not that’s enough? Time will tell.

Dolphins undrafted rookie DB Trill Williams’ press coverage goes viral

Dolphins undrafted rookie DB Trill Williams’ press coverage goes viral

Miami Dolphins UDFA defensive back Trill Williams has an unenviable task in his bid to try to make the Dolphins’ active roster. The Dolphins’ depth in the secondary is significant and doesn’t offer a lot of wiggle room to fit undrafted rookies — but Williams may force the Dolphins to make such a decision if he continues to bully opposing wide receivers in the preseason in the same way he did on one particular rep against the Bears this past Saturday.

The Dolphins lost 20-13 and the depth of the roster largely watched a 13-0 lead disappear in the second half — but Williams himself claimed one heck of a win in coverage on the outside and got himself some great social media engagement as a result.

Williams, in press, absolutely blows up the Bears receiver in question; but it is only the second-most savage piece of the puzzle with Williams’ viral moment. Captioning the play with “Bring ya kids to work day”?

That’s going to get some engagement.

Williams was a well-regarded prospect coming out of Syracuse but injury issues reportedly played a hand in his tumble through the draft. He certainly looks healthy here while providing a healthy serving of hands on the outside. Williams will need an impressive encore and continued flashes on special teams if he’s going to disrupt the expected pecking order during roster cuts. But, as is clear by Williams’ caption of his big moment from Saturday, he’s plenty confident. And that’s one of the most vital ingredients in successful defensive back play in the NFL — so never say never.

ESPN tabs late UDFA addition as Dolphins’ sleeper to watch

ESPN tabs late UDFA addition as Dolphins’ sleeper to watch

The Miami Dolphins are, by most accounts, absolutely loaded in the defensive backfield. Head coach Brian Flores’ defense finds much of its identity in the opportunities to match personnel and play in sub-package looks — a great way to attack the game given how much of the league is predicated on spacing the field and passing the football. But even amid the defensive group that currently boasts Howard, Jones, Rowe, Holland, Needham, Igbinoghene, McCourty, Coleman and more,  the Dolphins were able to make a quality pickup in the aftermath of the 2021 NFL draft — and the player in question appears to have set the stage for a push for a roster spot come August.

ESPN has released their list of sleeper players to watch for all 32 franchises and the selection for the Dolphins is undrafted free agent defensive back Trill Williams of Syracuse. Williams, who originally signed with the Saints but failed a physical, was plucked by Miami and by many accounts had himself a strong minicamp.

Here’s what ESPN’s Dolphins beat writer Cameron Wolfe had to say:

“Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, is already showing his athleticism, range, versatility and potential to make a roster-spot push despite a deep Dolphins defensive-back room. He nabbed an impressive interception off Tua Tagovailoa, a couple of pass breakups and generally looks like he belongs. The true test will be when the pads come on, but Williams is definitely worth keeping an eye on.” — Cameron Wolfe, ESPN

Williams was widely regarded as a possible mid-round selection but medical questions appear to have helped contribute to his tumble out of the draft all together. The Draft Network’s Joe Marino offered a rave review of Williams’ on the field resume coming out of Syracuse — and his writeup reads very much like a Brian Flores defensive back.

“Trill Williams was a steady presence in the Syracuse secondary since 2018 where he spent time at wide corner, slot corner, and at safety. While he is versatile and has appeal in any role, I like him best at wide corner. Williams is long, rangy, athletic, physical, and aggressive. His physical skill set is exceptional and he doesn’t have any restrictions. He is springy and explosive, capable of thriving in both man and zone coverage. With that said, he does have room to grow when it comes to anticipatory skills and there were some instances where he didn’t get his head around to the football with his back to the line of scrimmage. He had three return touchdowns in his three seasons in college and has a knack for coming up with big plays. For a team looking for a versatile defensive back that can be a matchup-neutralizer, Williams has the physical gifts to do that.” — Joe Marino, The Draft Network

As Wolfe said, the true test comes when the pads are put on. But Williams, despite the depth in Miami’s secondary, appears to have a great opportunity to marry his traits with a coach who can make the most of them here in Miami with Brian Flores. But he’ll need to make the team, first.

Mock draft watch: Breaking down Draft Wire’s latest 3-round haul for the Lions

The basic premise here is a common one for Detroit in mock drafts: premium offensive weapon first, then rebuild the defense

The freshest set of three-round 2021 NFL draft projections is now out from our friends at Draft Wire. It’s the first deeper dive into the draft since the compensatory picks were announced earlier this week.

The context for the Lions and the No. 7 overall pick is critical in looking at mock drafts. Namely, who is already off the board? Here are the top six picks in Draft Wire’s projection:

QB Trevor Lawrence

QB Zach Wilson

WR Ja’Marr Chase

QB Trey Lance

OT Penei Sewell

TE Kyle Pitts

That leaves the Lions several options, including Ohio State QB Justin Fields and Heisman Trophy-winning WR DeVonta Smith from Alabama. But the projection shifts to Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Detroit with that No. 7 pick.

The rest of the Lions selections:

No. 41 – EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn State

No. 72 – CB Trill Williams, Syracuse

No. 88 – LB Dylan Moses, Alabama (from Rams trade)

The basic premise here is a common one for Detroit in mock drafts: premium offensive weapon first, then rebuild the defense. Waddle and Oweh as the top two picks provide significant upgrades in the speed and athleticism department at their positions.

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Chargers trade back, stack deck in latest four-round mock draft

The Los Angeles Chargers trade back and still make of the most of their selections in Gavino Borquez’ latest four-round mock draft.

The Chargers have the No. 13 overall selection in this year’s draft, but there’s the possibility of the thought of moving back and acquiring more picks via trade with a quarterback-needy team could intrigue.

In this case, the Bears, who have a quarterback controversy, choose to move up seven spots to get their signal-caller of the future. In return, Los Angeles gets their first, third and fifth-round picks.

Let’s take a look at how the Bolts’ draft shakes up after trading back in my latest four-round projection.

Round 1, No. 20 (via CHI), Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Sam Tevi is a pending free agent and Trey Pipkins hasn’t done enough to warrant starter status. Therefore, the Chargers are in need of a reliable, long-term left tackle. Darrisaw has been commonly mocked to Los Angeles at No. 13, but he still falls in their laps here seven picks later.

Starting in all 35 games for the Hokies, Darrisaw earned second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-ACC accolades for his play last season. In 2020, he only allowed six total pressures on 267 snaps in pass protection.

The 6-foot-5 and 314 pounder is smooth in pass pro, showing anchor ability and body control. In the run game, he flashes strength to move defenders. He shows solid ability to reach and has the athletic traits and movement skills when getting to the second level to pave the way.

Overall, Darrisaw projects as a strong NFL starter at left tackle with All-Pro upside.

Round 2, No. 47, Josh Myers, IOL, Ohio State

Mike Pouncey retired and Dan Feeney is currently a pending free agent. Even if Feeney is re-signed, the Chargers need to add someone with high upside to offer competition because while he’s managed stay healthy, his play has been inconsistent.

Anchoring an offensive line that helped the Buckeyes average 266.8 rushing yards per game last season, Myers is a seasoned run blocker who possesses very good intelligence, athletic traits, and effort to block in space very effectively, while possessing good strength to anchor down vs bigger rushers.

Overall, Myers would be an immediate starter at center for the Chargers. Their scheme would allow him to maximize his athleticism, short area quickness, lateral movement to move defenders and pre-snap mental processing.

Round 3, No. 77, Jordan Smith, EDGE, UAB

Melvin Ingram’s stint with the Bolts could be coming to an end since his contract is up. Therefore, L.A. could be looking for someone to compliment Uchenna Nwosu who fits the mold well as a rotational edge rusher/outside linebacker in Brandon Staley’s 3-4 scheme.

In his first season at UAB, Smith finished with 53 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one pass deflection. This past season in eight games, Smith amassed 22 tackles, nine for loss, 4.5 sacks, one pass deflection, and an interception.

Smith has the explosiveness, length and high motor to win around the edge at the next level and has the ability to hold his own the run game, but needs to improve his hand usage and add some counter moves to be a more well-rounded player.

Round 3, No. 83 (via CHI), Trill Williams, CB, Syracuse

The cornerback room needs some refinement this offseason. Michael Davis’ future with the team remains to be seen because he’s scheduled to be a free agent and both Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr. aren’t getting any younger.

The Chargers recently met with Williams, showing that they have interest in the 6-foot-2 and 198 pounder. During his career with the Orange, Williams amassed 92 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and five pass breakups.

Williams is long, rangy, athletic, physical, and aggressive, thriving in both man and zone coverage. He also offers appeal as a special teamer as he had three return touchdowns in his three seasons. Staley covets position versatility and Williams can play cornerback, safety, or cover the slot.

Round 3, No. 97, Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn

The goal is to build around QB Justin Herbert, which is why the Chargers go receiver here.

Schwartz, the 6-foot and 179 pound wideout, amassed 54 catches, 636 yards and three touchdowns this past season. He had 117 catches for 1,433 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons at Auburn.

The former track star who ran a 10.15-second 100 meter, is an excellent athlete who has very good speed to create constant separation and pull away from pursuing defenders. He also has the physical tools, tracking ability and soft hands.

Given how much Herbert likes to air it out, Schwartz could quickly become a consistent target and he could be a reliable return man for a struggling special teams.

Round 4, No. 118, Kendrick Green, IOL, Illinois

Forrest Lamp is slated to be a free agent and his injury history and inconsistent play when healthy may be enough to warrant him not being re-signed by the Chargers.

Green was recruited as a defensive tackle but switched to the offensive line as a redshirt freshman. Green started 33 games for the Illini, with 29 games at left guard and four at center. This past season, he was named USA TODAY second team All-America and All-Big Ten first team.

At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Green has good movement skills, is as durable as it gets (33 straight starts) and plays with a nasty disposition. While his pass protection is still a work in progress, he has the foot quickness and explosiveness up front to be impactful.

Green projects to be a strong contributor inside either at guard or case — in this case at left guard. It may take him a year to carve up a starting role, but given his reactive athleticism and run blocking prowess, he profiles well to the next level.