One of the best things about hiring new coaches is that they can often wind up bringing over players with them to their new team. The Detroit Lions just found themselves in a situation where that could benefit them. They recently hired Deshea Townsend to be their new defensive backs coach and he did a great job with the Jaguars, Specifically he helped this man have the best season of his career.
The former Super Bowl champion with the Rams recently became a starter for the Jaguars and in 2023 he put up the best year of his NFL career. He had four picks, 14 pass breakups and a PFF grade of 79.5. Now he’s a free agent after the Jags decided to move on from him for cost cutting purposes.
He spent the last two seasons with Townsend and they worked quite well together there. That’s not the only connection he has to the Lions though. Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew was the Rams director of pro personnel when the Rams claimed him off waivers in 2018. He went from a UDFA to big part of the Rams corner rotation. After helping them win a Super Bowl in 2021, Williams got a big deal with the Jaguars.
Williams is on the older end of things at 30-years-old. This would likely be a short term deal for Detroit and one that would not break the bank. Honestly, at this point, this one feels like a forgone conclusin. I think the Lions will still be in on a high end corner like they’re rumored to be, but Williams being a part of their rotation would be a big get for this group. Keep your eyes on this one.