Getty K'Waun Williams runs on the field before a 49ers game.
The Detroit Lions have gotten off to a slower start in free agency this year than in previous seasons, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t working the backchannels to try and improve their roster for the 2021 season.
While Detroit’s biggest moves thus far have been making cuts to re-shape the roster and trying to hold on to their own free agents, the team has put a few feelers out on the market. The team had interest in safety John Johnson before he signed with the Cleveland Browns, and now looks to have their eyes on a new defender.
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Now, K’Waun Williams is joining the mix. Detroit was named as a team interested in the San Francisco 49ers’ cornerback by Manish Mehta. The Lions are joining a host of teams including the Browns, Colts, Jets and 49ers. It’s clearly a competitive market for the cornerback, and one that the Jets could lead thanks to Robert Saleh their head coach.
Slot CB K’Waun Williams is among a quality group of second-tier CBs. Robert Saleh has interest in re-uniting with him, per sources. Jets are in the mix, but have not made a formal offer yet.
Browns, Lions, Eagles, Colts & 49ers have expressed interest.
Projected APY: ~$4-5M
Landing Williams might take some finessing for the Lions, but if they could pull it off, they would be getting an interesting talent at cornerback who still has some quality snaps left in him for the future.
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K’Waun Williams Stats
Since joining the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014 out of Pittsburgh with the Cleveland Browns, Williams has turned himself into an interesting player. He’s known as one of the more underrated depth cornerbacks in the league, and given his market, teams seem to have caught on to this fact through the years. Williams himself has 249 tackles, 6 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions and 23 defended passes during his time in the league. He was a Pro Football Focus All-Rookie cornerback in 2014. At just 29, theoretically he could be coming into his prime right now and poised for a bigger role this season in free agency.
If Williams signed in Detroit, the Lions could use him as a key piece in a backfield that seems to need a veteran to tie things together in a major way.
Lions Have Major Defensive Needs
The Lions have needs not only in the trenches but on the back end of their defense as well. Detroit could use a safety like Johnson, but could also look to add a cornerback to the mix as well to help out their young players in finding a footing. Aside from Williams, the team could also look to make more additions at linebacker and along the defensive line, although bringing back Romeo Okwara was a great start for Detroit as it relates to that.
With young players like Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye at cornerback, the depth is a concern after some cuts recently, but adding a player like Williams as a major piece would theoretically help to solve this problem.
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