The Philadelphia Eagles have been perhaps the best team in the NFL in recent years at building and developing the roster through the draft. General manager Howie Roseman is widely recognized as an elite roster-builder, and his fingerprints were all over this Super Bowl-winning roster.
One of his best moves was selecting star defensive tackle Milton Williams in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After spending the first four years of his career in Philadelphia, Williams signed with the New England Patriots on a mammoth four-year, $104 million deal this offseason.
Eagles fans obviously wish him well, though it sounds like Williams' new head coach is already calling him out ahead of OTAs.
Milton Williams tells the story of Mike Vrabel calling him out in the first week of the voluntary offseason program, and how he liked it.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 13, 2025
Vrabel’s message to him: If you are going to be here, it’s on you to set the standard. pic.twitter.com/Z023zjyQZM
Former Eagles DT Milton Williams Put on Notice by Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel
Somewhat in jest, Williams revealed to the media on Tuesday that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel is already putting him on notice. He told a story about how Vrabel called him out in the first week of the organization's voluntary offseason program, though Williams certainly seemed to enjoy the challenge.
According to Williams, the message was simple: if you're going to be in New England, you have to set the standard.
Vrabel is known as a beloved coach who knows how players operate, so it's great for Williams long-term that he's already being challenged. The 26-year-old defensive standout ranked 31st out of 219 qualified interior defensive linemen at Pro Football Focus, suggesting he's one of the better players at his position in the NFL.
While Roseman elected to focus on the younger players they've drafted in recent years like Jalen Carter, there's no doubt that Williams made a huge impact on the team's success. It'll be hard to replace him, though the Eagles have prepared for it.
Williams is coming off a career year in which he recorded five sacks and 24 tackles while appearing in all 17 regular-season games. He's a force up the middle, and now he'll be tasked with helping return the Patriots' defense to glory.
We'll see what happens, but it looks like Williams has the right coach in charge to help him continue his upward trajectory.