Vikings Sign Former Patriots Second-Round Cornerback Joejuan Williams
The Vikings have agreed to terms with former Patriots cornerback Joejuan Williams, the team announced on Monday.
Minnesota needs to add numbers to its cornerback room, and this is the start of that effort. After losing Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley, and Kris Boyd in free agency, releasing Cameron Dantzler, and electing not to re-sign Chandon Sullivan, the Vikings' CB group will look vastly different in 2023. Byron Murphy, Akayleb Evans, and Andrew Booth Jr. are the current top three options at the position, with Williams joining Kalon Barnes and Tay Gowan as depth. The Vikings will continue to add corners this offseason, likely selecting at least one in next week's draft.
Williams had a standout career at Vanderbilt, including a junior season in which he recorded four interceptions, 13 total passes defended, and 61 tackles. He entered the draft early and was selected by the Patriots in the second round (45th overall).
Williams never lived up to his draft pedigree over the course of his rookie contract in New England. He appeared in 36 games during his first three seasons, starting just one of them, with 44 total tackles and eight passes defended. Williams played just 506 defensive snaps during that period, also playing on special teams. He also appeared in two playoff games, starting the wild card round loss to the Bills following the 2021 season. That would be Williams' last game with the Patriots, as he missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury.
There's some potential upside here with Williams, a former second-rounder who is still just 25 years old. He has excellent size at 6'3", 211 pounds with 32.5-inch arms. Williams also scored very well in the bench press, broad jump, and short shuttle tests at the 2019 combine, though his 4.64 40 time isn't pretty. Williams has a decent amount of NFL experience and it's possible his best football could still be ahead of him if he can stay healthy in 2023. He'll need to impress this offseason and in training camp to make the roster and potentially earn playing time.
Williams should have familiarity with the Vikings' defense under Brian Flores, as Flores spent over a decade under Bill Belichick with the Patriots before becoming the Dolphins' head coach the year Williams was drafted.
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