Xavier

Williams

Williams was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot but the exact details of the injury are unknown. The Cardinals signed him as a rotational run-stuffer this offseason. Williams played 11 games for Cincinnati in 2020, recording one sack and 22 tackles.

Williams, 29, is headed back to the desert after spending the first three years of his career there. He’s appeared in 56 games throughout his six-year career and spent parts of last season with the Patriots and Bengals following a two-year stint in Kansas City where he won a Super Bowl. Williams was in on 310 snaps across 11 games with Cincinnati in 2020.

Williams worked out of the Bucs earlier in the offseason but did not sign with them. If he makes the Patriots’ final roster, Williams will contribute as a run-stopper on the defensive line. He sidelined with an ankle injury for a majority of 2019 but played on 36 percent of the Chiefs’ snaps on defense in 2018. A five-year veteran, Williams should be able to quickly take on a role in New England if needed.

Williams returned from IR for the final five games and made two playoff appearances for Kansas City last year. He played on 36 percent of defensive snaps in 2018. A run stopper with starting experience, 28-year-old Williams could land a non-guaranteed deal.

Williams was only designated to return from injured reserve at the beginning of the month, so he’ll likely be back at full blast in in the middle of Kansas City’s trenches for their first postseason contest. It’s also interesting that LeSean McCoy is active for Week 17 (and Spencer Ware) after being healthy scratched last Sunday. The Chiefs can snatch the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC with a win and a Patriots loss.

Williams will begin practicing this week, so the Chiefs will decide whether to activate him over the next three weeks. With Kansas City struggling to stop the run, Williams theoretically would be a nice addition off injured reserve if he proves to be healthy. Williams has missed the last couple of months with a high-ankle sprain.

He’ll miss at least the next eight games after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Week 5 loss to the Colts last Sunday night. Williams played 118 largely ineffective snaps next to Chris Jones. He was a big part of Kansas City’s woeful run defense.

The severity of Williams’ ankle sprain sounds like it may force him to land on injured reserve. With stud DL Chris Jones (groin) also expected to miss some time, the Chiefs will turn to Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders up the middle in an up-tempo matchup against Houston’s explosive offense. That bodes well for Deshaun Watson, who is coming off a career game against Atlanta in Week 5 (426 yards, five touchdowns).

He’s believed to be dealing with a bad sprain, though obviously we’ll know more once his MRI results come back. With Chris Jones (groin) also on the shelf, KC’s defensive front won’t be at anywhere close to full strength for Sunday’s Week 6 matchup with Houston. That bodes well for Deshaun Watson, who is coming off a career game against Atlanta in Week 5 (426 yards, five touchdowns).

The Cardinals tendered Williams at the original-pick level. Because he went undrafted out of Northern Iowa, Arizona would receive no compensation if the Chiefs signed Williams to an offer sheet and the Cards failed to match. Williams is a run-stopping nose tackle at 6-foot-2, 320. The Chiefs appear to be moving on from disappointing free agent NT Bennie Logan.