Greedy Williams’ time with the Cleveland Browns has come to an end.
Williams inked a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, ending a four-year stint with the Browns. Williams was a second-round pick of the Browns in 2019 but saw his career in Cleveland derailed by injury, never living up to his draft placement.
Williams missed the entire 2020 campaign with a shoulder issue and has missed scattered time throughout his career with various injuries.
“I wouldn’t call it a jinx. I just say it’s another chapter in the book, man, just to come back and be better and prove again what I can do,” Williams said last season after landing on IR with a hamstring injury.
Williams appeared in 11 games last season with the Browns with one start.
Out of the gate, Williams looked like a promising prospect. He started 12 games as a rookie opposite of Denzel Ward but has been buried on the depth chart. Cleveland feels really good about its top three cornerbacks in Ward, Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson Jr., who started a handful of games last season.
Browns Continue to Add Defensive Lineman
The Browns knew their areas of need this offseason and have addressed defensive tackle in a big way. The team added Trysten Hill on Thursday — their third defensive tackle signed during free agency.
Hill was a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 but — much like Williams — never produced to his draft billing. He was released by the Cowboys last season, quickly catching on with the Cardinals. Hill’s season was cut short by a Week 16 knee injury.
Hill has 39 tackles and 1.5 sacks in his career and will be vying for a spot in the rotation along with the recently signed Maurice Hurst.
Hurst has played in just two games over the past two seasons due to injury. He missed all of last season with a torn biceps injury and played just two games with the 49ers in 2021 as he battled calf and ankle injuries.
The two will join the Browns splash signing Dalvin Tomlinson in the middle of the line.
Tomlinson Ready to Anchor Browns DL
The Browns signed Tomlinson to be the anchor of their defensive line, giving him a four-year, $57 million deal with $27.5 million guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Browns are hoping a new combination in the middle can help their run-stopping ability, which was severely lacking last season. Tomlinson is game for the challenge.
“As a defensive lineman, I feel like going into each season there is always a lot of pressure to stop the run because if you can’t stop the run, you will never get to pass rush,” Tomlinson said. “Just want to come in and help everybody across the whole front so we can be one unit up front to stop the run as much as possible.”
Tomlinson says the key to having a strong unit is playing for each other, so he plans to take on a leadership role in building that camaraderie.
“The biggest thing is to get to know everybody and know their why. That is the biggest thing. If you know each other’s why, why you play the game and why you love the game, you are going to be playing for each other on a whole different level. Just make sure all of us are selfless.”
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Browns Cornerback Bolts for NFC Powerhouse in Free Agency