Nick Williams (defensive lineman)
Nick Williams (born February 21, 1990) is an American football defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft after his college football career at Samford.[1] He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions.
.JPG.webp) Williams in the 2019 NFL season | |||||||||
| No. 95 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 21, 1990 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Minor (Adamsville, Alabama) | ||||||||
| College: | Samford | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 7 / Pick: 223 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Early years
Williams was a lightly recruited player out of Minor High School in Birmingham, Alabama, having played basketball for two years before switching to football in his senior year. At Samford, Williams was red-shirted as a freshman in 2008 and then saw two years of backup duties from 2009 to 2010. In 2011, Williams earned a starting position, notching 23 tackles and three tackles for loss over all eleven games. Williams improved on his performance in 2012, accumulating 31 tackles, eight for a loss, six sacks, and a blocked kick while starting all eleven games.[1]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) |
309 lb (140 kg) |
34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 4.94 s | 1.70 s | 2.86 s | 4.65 s | 7.55 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) | 28 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers
Williams was selected in the seventh round with the 223rd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[3] On August 25, 2013, he was placed on the Steelers' injured reserve list.[4] He was released by the Steelers on August 30, 2014 and was signed to the team's practice squad the next day.
Kansas City Chiefs
On November 24, 2014, Williams was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs off the Steelers' practice squad.[5] He was re-signed by the team on April 18, 2016. He was released on October 18, 2016.[6]
Miami Dolphins
On October 19, 2016, Williams was signed by the Miami Dolphins.[7] He was released on September 2, 2017.[8]
Chicago Bears
On April 19, 2018, Williams was signed by the Chicago Bears.[9] He re-signed with the team on a one-year contract on March 15, 2019.[10]
In 2019, Williams recorded his first career sack against the Denver Broncos on Joe Flacco.[11] In week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams sacked Kirk Cousins twice and recovered a fumble forced by Khalil Mack in the 16-6 win.[12]
Detroit Lions
On March 24, 2020, Williams signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Detroit Lions.[13]
New York Giants
On July 26, 2022, the New York Giants signed Williams.[14] On November 7, 2022, Williams was placed on injured reserve with a bicep injury, and missed the remainder of the season.[15]
Los Angeles Chargers
On May 18, 2023, Willams was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers to a one year deal.[16]
References
- "Steelers select DE Nicholas Williams". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- "Nicholas Williams, Samford, DT, 2013 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- "Steelers Make Roster Moves; Trim Roster to 75". Steelers.com. August 25, 2013. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
- Teope, Herbie (November 24, 2014). "Chiefs sign DT Nick Williams to active roster from Steelers practice squad". Chiefs Digest. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- "Chiefs Announce Roster Moves". Chiefs.com. October 18, 2016. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017.
- Lieser, Jason (October 19, 2016). "Dolphins awarded DT Nick Williams off waivers from Chiefs". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- "Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018.
- Mayer, Larry (April 19, 2018). "Bears sign two players after minicamp auditions". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Eurich, Matt (March 15, 2019). "Bears re-sign defensive lineman Nick Williams". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- Emma, Chris (September 20, 2019). "Bears' Nick Williams Embracing His Opportunity". WSCR. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- "Bears lose Trubisky, shut down Cook in 16-6 win over Vikings". www.espn.com. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- "Lions agree to terms with eight free agents". DetroitLions.com. March 20, 2020.
- Eisen, Michael (July 26, 2022). "Giants sign 4 players ahead of training camp". Giants.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- "Xavier McKinney placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury; Nick Williams to IR". Giants.com. November 7, 2022. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- "Los Angeles Chargers Sign DL Nick Williams". Chargers.com. May 19, 2023.