Report: Chiefs Sign Veteran Defensive Tackle Brandon Williams to Practice Squad
As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for the final stretch of the 2022 NFL regular season, they'll be getting some reinforcements from the open market. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the team is signing former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams to the practice squad.
Longtime former Ravens’ DT Brandon Williams, who had been waiting for the right opportunity like Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, is signing with the Chiefs practice squad with the idea of going to the active roster, per sources. Williams reunites with Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen.
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 at 5:47 p.m. CST
Schefter adds that "the idea" is for Williams to be promoted to Kansas City's active roster at some point. The 33-year-old is a Missouri native who played college football at Missouri Southern before getting drafted in the third round back in 2013 and spending all nine of his previous seasons in Baltimore. Schefter notes that Williams was waiting for the ideal opportunity to present itself, and the prospect of joining the Chiefs appears to have been too much to pass on for any longer.
In 123 career games (114 starts), Williams has amassed 323 tackles with 33 of them being for a loss. Additionally, he has 19 career quarterback hits, 11 passes broken up and 6.5 sacks. Williams made the Pro Bowl back in 2018 and played 53% of the Ravens' available defensive snaps as recently as last year. He hasn't logged a single regular-season snap for an NFL team in 2022.
The Chiefs' interior defensive line picture under Joe Cullen has been an interesting one, as the team is leaving very few stones unturned. Whether it's kicking defensive end Mike Danna to the inside, elevating players such as Taylor Stallworth, sticking with familiar faces like Derrick Nnadi or even signing veteran Danny Shelton, general manager Brett Veach has made multiple efforts to surround Chris Jones with different players. Fourth-year man Khalen Saunders has been Cullen's best non-Jones performer inside, stepping up in a major way in a contract season.
The addition of Williams gives the team yet another option to choose from as the playoffs draw nearer and nearer. It's worth questioning exactly where he fits in and how much he has left in the tank, but his track record and previous connection to Cullen make him an intriguing addition by a club that just signed Melvin Gordon and Bryan Edwards to the practice squad just one day earlier.
