Philadelphia Eagles: Trevor Williams was never going to be CB2
Trevor Williams was never a sure thing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Philadelphia Eagles decided to sign ex-Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams to a Reserve/Future contract back in January, it was viewed as a lowkey candidate to win sleeper move of the year by some potentially overzealous fans.
A graduate of the Penn State University, Williams is a classic NFL overachiever, transforming himself from an overlooked UDFA into a 15 game starter in a loaded Chargers defensive backfield then-headlined by Pro Bowler Casey Hayward and ascending star Desmond King. Sure, he was ultimately released by the Chargers in 2019 following an injury-shortened season, and only played 16 snaps for his next team, the Arizona Cardinals, in 2019 – all of which were on special teams – but assuming his health was in order, surely the Eagles were setting themselves up for a massive boon at CB2 across from Darius Slay, right?
Unfortunately, we will never know.
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That right, one day removed from waiving many fans’ favorite UDFA prospect, Arizona quarterback-turned-wide receiver Khalil Tate, the Eagles opted to release Williams as well, in a gradual trim down to 2020’s 80 player training camp limit.
Could the Eagles ultimately grow to regret this move? Most definitely, for all we know, Williams could sign with the Dallas Cowboys, become a starter across from Trevon Diggs, and become a Pro Bowler but sometimes we have to take off the optimistic fan goggles and look at the situation objectively: Trevor Williams was never going to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting cornerback.
I know, I know, Williams has a higher Madden rating than Avonte Maddox, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas, and even Jalen Mills depending on the roster update. He ran a 4.44 40 yard dash at PSU’s pro day, and has good hands thanks to his past time as a wide receiver, what more could a team want? Well, for one, Williams is slightly built, with a lower BMI than Avonte Maddox despite being two inches taller. Williams also has a slightly below-average change of direction-ability, average hips, average arms, and small hands. If you check out the average measurements for an NFL cornerback measured at the combine, which Philadelphia Eagles’ scout Fran Duffy does here, you will nary find a stat where Williams is elite.
While Williams certainly looks like a wide receiver, he’s definitely not the next Richard Sherman, let alone Quinton Dunbar.
Okay, so Williams isn’t an elite athlete, who cares? Mills ran a 4.61 40 and he started 34 games for the Eagles at cornerback since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Can’t a team’s other perimeter cornerback have some athletic deficiencies when paired up with an athletic freak of nature like Slay who can shadow an opposing team’s top wide receiver? Well, they could, but that would require said player actually being available to play with frequency.
Despite appearing in 44 of a possible 52 games during his time with the Nittany Lions, Williams has only had one NFL season that wasn’t marred with injuries and has only appeared in 11 games since suffering a knee injury in 2018. If Williams had his former teammate Jason Verrett’s talent – not to mention draft pedigree – maybe he’d be worth a longer look but the decision to waive him now clearly indicates the Eagles’ current crop of cornerbacks as at least the same average caliber of player, if not significantly better.
Does that mean the Eagles couldn’t still go out and recruit another cornerback to compete for said open spot, a player like Aquib Talib? I’d wager to say Howie Roseman is open to any move he believes could help the team moving forward but again, Williams clearly isn’t that guy; if there was even a chance he was, he’d still be here.
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No, in this humble writer’s opinion, the Philadelphia Eagles’ decision to release Williams now is an act of courtesy. They could have kept him around, running third team cornerback alongside players like Craig James only to be waived in favor of Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, and Nickell Robey-Coleman come September. Instead, Howie Roseman and company allowed him a chance to latch on with a more needy team in the hopes of landing a slot in a less loaded secondary. Assuming he’s healthy, let’s hope Trevor Williams can run with that oppertunity – just not on another team in the NFC East.