Joejuan Williams‘ season has come to an end before it could even get off the ground. The Patriots‘ veteran cornerback suffered a shoulder injury that will sideline him for the entire 2022 campaign, according to the NFL Network. The 24-year-old injured his shoulder in New England’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. Now, Williams will likely be placed on injured reserve before Tuesday’s deadline for all NFL teams to trim down their 90-man rosters to 85.
Williams arrived in Foxborough in 2019 as a second-round draft choice of the Patriots out of Vanderbilt. New England traded up 11 spots for the opportunity to select Williams and the team has largely not seen a return on that investment. Over his three-year career, Williams has been unable to live up to that draft billing and has been underwhelming as a role player within the secondary.
While there have been some flashes over his tenure and has been a versatile piece on special teams, consistency has been Williams’ biggest challenge and his 6-foot-3, 21-pound frame hasn’t translated to the NFL the way the Patriots had hoped when they selected him.
In 38 career games (including playoffs), Williams has received two starts and has yet to register an interception. Over that stretch, he’s tallied eight pass breakups and 50 combined tackles. Over the last two seasons, Williams allowed opposing quarterbacks to register a 129.4 and a 96.8 passer rating, respectfully.
Terrance Mitchell, Jalen Mills, Malcolm Butler, Jonathan Jones, Shaun Wade, and rookies Jack Jones and Marcus Jones currently highlight the top end of New England’s cornerback group.
