Joshua Williams pushes for CB3 spot after Titans win

sdbThe Kansas City Chiefs trust their rookie cornerbacks in 2022. Ultimately, Joshua Williams is back in the CB3 conversation.

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ defensive back corps is very young, and they doubled down on that before the trade deadline. Rookies, including cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook, have been key rotational players as the season progresses. But the most prominent among them is cornerback Joshua Williams. After a win over the Tennessee Titans, Williams is setting himself apart on the defensive depth chart.

Williams, a Chiefs fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was seen as a developmental project coming out of HBCU Fayetteville State. He had the height, length, and speed, but lacked the quality opposition most NFL prospects had faced. Few could have projected his promising performances this early in 2022. He did look like a rookie against the Buffalo Bills, but he belonged against the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers, and now the Titans.

Yes, we know the Titans did not move the ball through the air. Their five completions against Kansas City were the fewest in franchise history. The passing game was historically bad, with rookie quarterback Malik Willis leading the charge. So, Williams was not tested, or even targeted, against the Chiefs. His important stat was his Week 9 snap count, though.

Williams played in 21 defensive snaps against the Titans, good for the third-most among Chiefs cornerbacks. It is far from his season high of 62 snaps against the 49ers, but Williams is in good standing with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Outside of the Buffalo game, Williams has only allowed four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. His 70.4 pass coverage PFF grade is the ninth-best among NFL rookies in 2022. He certainly is not a lockdown corner, but the signs is encouraging for sure.

After the Chiefs traded veteran cornerback Rashad Fenton to the Atlanta Falcons, Williams and Watson both had a chance to climb the depth chart. Entering Week 10, Williams has the leg up on Watson for the CB3 spot in Kansas City.