Broncos Sign Veteran DL DeShawn Williams
The Denver Broncos parted ways with Jonathan Williams this past week, placing him on the Waived/NFI list. This opened up a spot at the bottom of the defensive line totem pole.
On Saturday, the team announced that it had signed veteran defensive lineman DeShawn Williams. For those who might recognize that name, you're not crazy.
This will be Williams' third stint with the Broncos. But he's never been on the active roster.
Williams competed in Broncos training camp in 2018 and 2019. This will make it the third straight summer in Denver.
At 6-foot-1, 292 pounds, Williams is entering his third year after going undrafted out of Clemson back in 2015. He entered the league as a college free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals and outside of the Broncos, he's also spent time on practice squads in Miami (2018) and Indianapolis (2018) during his pro career.
I wish I could say that Williams' prospects in Denver this time around were any brighter. But if anything, they're even more dim. The Broncos' starting trio of D-linemen is set with Jurrell Casey, Mike Purcell, and Shelby Harris, with three former high-round draft picks sandwiched in between Williams and the starters.
DeMarcus Walker (2017 second-rounder), Dre'Mont Jones (2019 third-rounder), and McTelvin Agim (2020 third-rounder) help round out that next wave of trenchmen that also includes the veteran Christian Covington. That's what Williams is up against.
Maybe third time's the charm. We'll keep our fingers crossed. The Broncos roster now sits at 79 players, which means there's room for one more seat at the table.
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