Greedy Williams was just 6 months old when his aunt noticed something about him.
“She said I was drinking a lot of milk,” Williams said. “So she came up with (the nickname) Greedy Deedy and my mom just left the Deedy out and it’s been Greedy ever since.”
That nickname is still going strong 25 years later as Williams explained it at his introductory press conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
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Williams was taken by the Browns in the second round of the 2019 draft out of LSU back in 2019 and even though his career hasn’t quite gone to plan, Williams has carved out a career with 39 games and 21 starts under the belt.
But Greedy wants more.
Of course he does.
Because it wasn’t that long ago that Williams was a top prospect coming out of LSU, a school known for producing star defensive backs. And Williams (6-2, 185) was garnering legitimate first-round buzz during the pre-draft process and that didn’t slow down when he ran a 4.37 at the combine.
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Even after Williams fell to No. 46 in the second round, there were still plenty of people who expected his ceiling to be as a true CB1 in the NFL.
Hasn’t worked out that way.
“Rocky a little bit,” Williams admitted on Tuesday. “Up and down years and things like that. It’s just been a little up and down with me.”
After starting 12 games as a rookie in 2019, Williams missed his entire second season with a serious nerve injury in his shoulder. He returned in 2021 and had some success but wasn’t able to turn into a star and then in 2022 he was a depth player.
How has Williams gotten through those rocky moments?
“Prayer, family, family with great support. It happens,” Williams said. “It’s just in the game but I’m past that now. I’m excited. I think I feel good. Everything is just a refresh and a restart. I’m excited.”
It’s interesting that Williams used those two words: Refresh and restart. They’re the same words that running back Rashaad Penny said during his introductory press conference in Philly earlier in the week.
The Eagles seemingly have a type this offseason. With most of their big money going to free agents who were with the team in 2022, the Eagles are taking some flyers on players with low-risk, high-reward contracts. Williams, Penny, Justin Evans, to name a few.
There’s a really good chance Williams will never live up to his draft status but there has to be a freeing feeling for a player leaving the city and the team that once drafted him so high. With the Eagles, Williams is just eager to play his role, which will likely be competing with Zech McPhearson for the top backup corner spot behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
Williams is looking forward to sharing a defensive backs room with a couple veterans with so much experience and he still thinks back to when he got some advice from Slay during the pre-draft process in 2019. The two have already been in touch since free agency began.
The Eagles got an up-close look at Williams last summer when the Birds visited Berea, Ohio, for joint practices with the Browns. There was a viral clip from when A.J. Brown caught a touchdown pass over Williams. But that battle reminded Williams of his tough matchups against players like Brown and DeVonta Smith in the SEC.
That competitiveness is what Williams said drew him to Philly. That ought to make head coach Nick Sirianni very happy.
“It kind of fit me and who I am,” Williams said.
The fact that his nickname seems like the perfect nickname for a defensive back is not lost on Williams. “Gotta get them picks, man,” he said. But that’s something Williams hasn’t been able to do much in his career. He has just two career interceptions and both of them came in the 2021 season.
Williams is right that his career has been rocky to this point. And maybe he’ll never live up to his second-round draft status. But the Eagles don’t need him to either. They just need him to compete and fill his role.
What does Williams think his future holds?
“A great career,” Williams said. “Just blessed to be here and keep going. I don’t really look too far ahead. I just kind of be where my feet at and focus on the main journey.”
That’s what everyone should want. That’s not greedy at all.
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