Madieu

Williams

Free safety Kim Herring (foot) is out, and strong safety Rogers Beckett (concussion) is questionable. Williams was burned early by the Jets, but bounced back for a solid second half in week one.

The converted rookie corner is one of the best IDP surprises of the season. He has 32 tackles on the season.

The Bengals took a lot of unheard of defenders in this year’s draft. Williams is the best of the bunch and is a real IDP up-and-comer.

He appears fully recovered from last year’s shoulder problems. Williams was one of the best rookie defenders in football in 2004.

Austin finished with a monster stat line, hauling in nine passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He started slow, failing to haul in any of his first six targets. The second quarter was another story, as Austin caught a ball five yards out and took it 53-yards to the house untouched after CB Carlos Rogers slipped. His second touchdown was a great grab on a 5-yard toss from Jon Kitna. The third was a beautiful, leaping catch over Madieu Williams. He may not see 15 targets when Dez Bryant returns, but it’s clear Austin is a focal point of the offense and capable of putting up elite numbers on a weekly basis.

Williams must not have loved the offer, or else he would be a Redskin by now. The team he plans to visit Monday is undisclosed. Once regarded amongst the league’s top free safeties, Williams’ NFL stock has fallen dramatically over the past couple years. He’s likely looking at veteran minimum deals.

The 30-year-old former Maryland star will have trouble earning a roster spot this season after registering just nine tackles in 15 games with the 49ers last year. He brings no special teams value.

That didn’t take long. The Redskins were fully expected to consider Jackson now that former Bucs coach Raheem Morris is running the secondary. Turning 27 in July, Jackson is worth the risk as long as it’s a low-cost deal. He will likely compete with Madieu Williams and DeJon Gomes for the starting free safety job. Jackson’s signing certainly hurts Williams’ chances of making the team.

Williams left Washington without a deal in place late last week. He had another undisclosed visit set for Monday, and the tea leaves now suggest it was with Atlanta. Williams would be a reserve/role player in either locale.

He visited Atlanta on Monday after checking in with Washington last week. A part-time player during his age-30 campaign in 2011, he won’t be signed to start.