The Philadelphia Eagles watched as multiple players left town this offseason, and Milton Williams was one of them. He inked a four-year, $104 million deal with the New England Patriots, and through two games, he's been living up to the contract with his new team.
In Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, Williams sacked QB Tua Tagovailoa with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter and sealed the victory for his team.
Patriots reporter Evan Lazar pointed out that Williams has two sacks, nine total pressures, and three stops in two games.
Milton Williams Is Playing Well for Patriots
The Eagles couldn't afford to keep Williams around, which is why he got a massive payday from the Pats. While he was an effective rotational piece for Philadelphia, he was brought in by New England to be a consistent disruptor, and he has done that so far.
According to PFF, he has a 76.6 overall grade and an 80.5 pass-rush grade. He's getting after the quarterback the way New England hoped he would, and icing the game in just his second start with the team is huge.
When Williams got $26 million per year, it seemed like an overpay at that point. No one had seen him produce in a starting role since entering the league, leading to comments that he was effective in Philadelphia's defense as he was surrounded by difference makers.
While he still has to be consistent for the remainder of the season for the Pats to feel like they have a budding star in the middle of their defense, he's off to an excellent start.
Philadelphia has Jalen Carter as their star at DT, with Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Ty Robinson as other options to throw out there.
There's no doubt that the Eagles would love to have Williams on the defensive line, but that wasn't in the cards for them. Philadelphia isn't able to pay everyone, and they decided to let Williams walk. Carter played a large role in that choice, but it doesn't take away from Williams' ability.
Mike Vrabel and his staff felt that he was worth that deal, and his performance through two weeks is making it appear that they made the right decision. There are still 15 games left in the regular season for Williams, but this is the kind of start he wanted with his new team.