It’s been a rough couple of weeks financially for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams. One week after getting fined by the NFL for “unnecessary roughness” against the Las Vegas Raiders following Week 8, the third-year draft pick has been hit with yet another forfeiture for actions in Week 9.
According to NFL Football Operations and the gameday accountability page on November 9, Williams was fined $6,398 for a “horse-collar tackle” that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty while facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Couple that with last weekend’s financial penalty and Williams has been charged a little under $13,000 over the past eight days.
No Buccaneers players were fined by the NFL after Week 9.
Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo Still Believes There Is Room for Improvement in Joshua Williams’ Game
On top of this monetary punishment, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has also been vocal about Williams cleaning up his game.
“We’d like to get rid of that,” Spagnuolo said on November 1, regarding Williams’ penalty versus the Raiders. On November 7, after the victory over the Bucs, the Chiefs DC reiterated that there are “some things we’ve got to work on” when asked about the 25-year-old CB.
Aside from that note, Spagnuolo didn’t signal Williams out as much this time, speaking in a more collective manner.
“The most important thing is we won the game,” he said. “Nobody felt good about the way it ended defensively.”
The veteran coach labeled Williams’ Week 9 effort “solid,” but with room for improvement.
Chiefs CB Nazeeh Johnson Is Expected to Return in Week 10
Williams could take a back seat to fellow draftmate Nazeeh Johnson again in Week 10, with the latter expected to return from a Week 8 concussion.
“DE Mike Danna and CB Nazeeh Johnson worked all week and appear to be in good shape to make their returns,” relayed Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney on November 8.
Johnson started in Week 8 before his injury. Per Pro Football Focus, he was not targeted over nine coverage snaps — holding the opposing quarterback to a passer rating of zero.
Johnson also appeared on nine run defense snaps and was credited with 3 tackles, 3 tackle assists and 1 key defensive stop.
Playing a full 55 snaps in Week 9, Williams struggled as a run defender with a poor PFF grade of 33.6 out of 100 in that area. He was credited with 3 tackles, 1 tackle assist and 1 missed tackle. Williams did not make any plays that qualified as key defensive stops.
In 38 pass coverage snaps against the Bucs, Williams allowed 2 receptions off 4 targets for 18 yards. This was the much more positive aspect of his performance. He also only allowed a total of 3 yards after the catch and held Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield to a passer rating of 62.5.
Williams was also flagged for the aforementioned horse-collar tackle that the league ended up fining him for. It remains to be seen how Spagnuolo plans to deploy the two cornerbacks against the Denver Broncos in Week 10.
Chiefs Elevate WR Justyn Ross & LB Cole Christiansen for Week 10 vs. Broncos
In other news, the Chiefs will be utilizing their practice squad elevations in Week 10 according to KPRC 2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
“Chiefs elevate [linebacker] Cole Christiansen and [wide receiver] Justyn Ross,” Wilson informed on November 9.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) sidelined once again, it will be the second straight practice squad promotion for Ross — who was only on the field for seven offensive snaps versus the Buccaneers. The 24-year-old pass-catcher did not record any receptions or appear on special teams.
On the contrary, the special teams department is where Christiansen makes his living. Over six active appearances for KC this season, the veteran linebacker has logged 91 special teams snaps across four ST units.
PFF has graded Christiansen’s special teams impact as a 58.9 in 2024, but in the past, he’s been graded as high as 88.8. So, you might say it’s been a down year for the staff favorite.
Christiansen was released from the active roster this week on November 5, but he immediately re-signed to the practice squad. Clearly, he remains a part of the Chiefs’ plans both in Week 10 and beyond.
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Chiefs Defender Fined by NFL for Second Straight Week: Report