Now in his third season in the league, cornerback Joejuan Williams faces a golden opportunity to finally prove he was worth the second-round draft pick the New England Patriots invested in him back in 2019. The Patriots, after all, will have to move forward without injured starting slot cornerback Jonathan Jones.
Williams is no traditional slot defender in the mold of Jones, but the injury in combination with Stephon Gilmore getting traded to Carolina has opened the door for more playing time as a top-four cornerback on the current roster. And in his first opportunity filling that role, the 23-year-old excelled — so much so that Pro Football Focus named him to its Team of Week 7.