Trill Time? Williams Could Be X-Factor in Dolphins Secondary
A month after the playoff loss at Buffalo, it's a time for most Miami Dolphins players to unwind and let their body recover after the wear and tear of a long season.
For cornerback Trill Williams and some of his teammates, it's still grind time as they recover from injuries that derailed or in some cases ruined their 2022 season.
Williams continues on the road back from the knee injury he sustained in the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he took to Twitter on Thursday to show how far along he's come since that August night.
Given the normal timeline for recovery from a torn ACL (the injury Williams sustained), he has a chance to be ready for the start of the offseason program April 17, but at the very least he definitely will be ready for the start of training camp barring any setback.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY WILLIAMS' RETURN COULD BE BIG FOR THE DOLPHINS SECONDARY
Williams' injury last summer was disappointing for a few reasons for the Dolphins (and himself obviously), one of which was just how impressive he had looked in training camp.
It's also worth mentioning the injury occurred when he tackled Tampa Bay wide receiver for a 5-yard loss in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 26-24 preseason victory.
Williams had put himself in position to earn a significant role in the Dolphins secondary in light of the absence of Byron Jones and it's not unfair to suggest he could have ended up starting at cornerback opposite Xavien Howard.
As it was, nickel corner Nik Needham started as the boundary corner until he, too, ended up on injury reserve and was replaced by rookie free agent Kader Kohou.
As well as Kohou played — and he played very well — it's difficult to envision him not starting again in 2023 or at the very least having a key role and the hope is that Xavien Howard stays fully healthy and plays like the old Xavien Howard.
But here's the thing: You can never have enough quality cornerbacks, and Williams looks like somebody who just might become that.
The other thing is that if Williams can return to full health and build on the promise he showed last summer, it will make dumping Jones and his big cap number a lot more palatable.
So there will be a place for Williams in the lineup if he's back to being the guy we saw last summer.
And it certainly looks like he's doing his part to make sure that happens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.
