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The injury bug is a nasty pest for every single kind of professional sporting team and sometimes it causes more damage in one club than another. This year, the Washington Redskins have had a real pest problem and the exterminator of sorts has been General Manager Scot McCloughan. All season-long he has been finding guys around the league to replace injured Washington players and most of them have come to D.C. and contributed right away.
The team lost a really special player when rookie safety/nickel corner Kyshoen Jarrett went down last week during the game against the Dallas Cowboys. Once again, McCloughan needed to find someone to come to Washington and play immediately and the result is the signing of free agent cornerback Cary Williams. The team announced his signing Tuesday and it was for a one-year veteran minimum.
Williams, a 2008 seventh-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans is a pretty lucky pickup for the Redskins considering the fact that it is post-Week 17. With the recent injury to Jarrett (who has been placed on the Reserve/Injured list), the find of a smart, veteran cornerback with eight years of experience who can pick things up quickly is huge as the team looks forward to its first-round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers in less than a week.
Williams’ story is an interesting one. He has bounced around the league a bit; from the Titans to the Baltimore Ravens to the Philadelphia Eagles to the Seattle Seahawks and now here. He struggled fitting in to the Legion of Boom in Seattle but that is probably more an issue of the system they play there than a lack of ability on his part.
Raised in a south Florida neighborhood called Liberty City, Williams dealt with a lot of crime and in the course of growing up, lost a lot of teammates from his school football teams. Along with living in a tough place, Williams had serious issues with both parents. He and his brother ran away together while fairly young and ended up being adopted by a cousin who was a minister. This relative, in Williams’ words, “saved” them.
The south Florida native’s road to the NFL wasn’t as straight as some guys’, winding first through Fordham University in New York City. He had to leave after a suspension and finished his college career at tiny Division II Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. There he excelled, logging 11 interceptions in two years.
He was invited to Kansas University’s Pro Day where the Titans saw him and were impressed enough to take a chance on him in the draft.
Williams went back and forth between Tennessee’s practice squad and the 53-man roster a few times. In his second year in the league he got a call from the Ravens who thought that, at the very minimum, he could be a good special teams player.
While in Baltimore (2009-2012), Williams played well. His best year was his last when he recorded four interceptions (one for a TD), one sack, 67 tackles and 17 passes defended. His four INTs that year tied those of legendary safety Ed Reed.
Williams did hit a small rough patch in 2010 when he was suspended for two games for a personal conduct policy violation. Not much is known about why other than the suspension was enforced by the NFL because of “a situation” involving Williams’ family in Tennessee while he was a member of the Titans.
In 2013, Williams was signed by the Eagles and it was there that he his reputation for being “outspoken” garnered more attention. There were a couple of incidents that put him in the news but they honestly, probably only talked about because they came out of Philadelphia.
Quite honestly, Williams is a soft-spoken and very likable guy. Speaking today in the locker room, it was almost hard to hear him because he speaks so quietly. His experience is going to be invaluable to the team and again, the Burgundy and Gold was lucky to get him so late in the season. Expect to see him on the field against the Packers.
“We brought him in, needed another veteran guy and he fits into the same mold as [Will] Blackmon, Mason Foster and Alex Smith,” Head Coach Jay Gruden said today. “Guys that have played a lot of football where this game won’t be too big for them… that can come in and play significant reps and not be overwhelmed with the terminology or the competition. He’s a very confident corner, played a lot of ball. We have confidence that he can pick this system up and contribute.”
The Redskins new cornerback will likely play outside but that will depend on how current starter Quinton Dunbar is and where they see the former Titan fit best. He’s ready to just step in and do what is asked of him.
“I’m in that mode right now,” Williams said today, “wherever I can assist… wherever the coach wants me to play I’m ready to do it. I’m blessed to be in this moment with a team that’s ready to win.”
His teammates are certainly grateful to have a guy like Williams here. No injury comes at a good time but the ones to Jarrett and CB Deshaun Phillips (who may play Sunday) came at a terrible time.
“I was with him in the offseason in Seattle,” Blackmon said about his new teammate. “To have a veteran here who has post season experience and a Super Bowl ring himself… we have no issues with getting him adjusted and ready to play here. He’s played a lot of football.”
Great stuff