Jonah Williams hoping 2020 is his time: 'new year, same vision'
The Bengals were ravaged by injuries last season. Two of their most important players didn't even play a snap.
A.J. Green missed the entire season with an ankle injury and Jonah Williams was out all year after undergoing should surgery for a torn labrum.
The Bengals are banking on both players to bounce back in 2020.
Williams posted on Instagram earlier this week for the first time in more than a year. After missing all of last season, the 22-year-old uploaded a video of himself working out.
He looked lean, strong and ready to play.
The Bengals need Williams to be at his best this season. They're expecting him to be a plug-and-play left tackle. He hasn't taken an NFL snap yet, but they're confident he'll be an upgrade from what they had in 2019.
Williams started every game during his three-year Alabama career. He made 44 straight starts for the Crimson Tide — 29 at left tackle and 15 at right tackle.
He received high praise from Pro Football Focus. He was their second-highest graded offensive lineman in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Williams received the second-best run blocking grade (83.6) and fourth-best pass blocking grade (98.7) in the entire draft.
The Bengals believe those skills will make a difference this season.
"He felt great in the month of December when we got him back out on the practice field. He's fully healthy, ready to go," head coach Zac Taylor said in April. "It's too bad that we didn't get a chance to use him last year, but we're getting a healthy player who is in the right state of mind mentally. He's ready to help us at left tackle and we're excited to get Jonah back on the field and get him ready to go whenever that time comes."
The Bengals are hoping they get to see him next month. The team is scheduled to report for training camp on July 24.
