Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ cornerback depth was an issue. As a result, the Chiefs brought in multiple new cornerbacks this offseason. Rookie Nohl Williams was one of Kansas City’s additions at cornerback.
Although he wasn’t slotted to start at the beginning of the year, Williams has been called upon in the past two games due to injuries. On Thursday, defensive backs coach Dave Merritt spoke about Williams’ first two games and the impact he has had on the defense as a whole.
“The fact that he’s able to go out there and use his skillset against top receivers is helping everyone out, not just Trent McDuffie, but the D-Line and everybody. He’s done a great job,” Merritt said, according to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
Chiefs DB Coach Dave Merritt Praises Rookie Nohl Williams
Merritt’s comments should excite everyone in Chiefs Kingdom. As mentioned above, Kansas City did not expect Williams to start so early in the season. That responsibility was supposed to go to veteran offseason acquisition, Kristian Fulton. Unfortunately, Fulton sustained an ankle injury early during Week 2, which thrust Williams into action.
Despite being pushed into a role that wasn’t envisioned for him this early in the season, Williams has been a solid replacement so far. Through two games, Williams has earned a 93.0 coverage grade and a 90.4 overall grade, according to PFF. It should be noted, though, that neither of the teams the Chiefs faced during those two weeks has a prolific passing offense.
Despite the Philadelphia Eagles having A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, they prefer to run the ball with Saquon Barkley. Still, Williams’ contribution to helping limit Hurts to only 101 passing yards on 22 attempts is impressive after the Eagles’ signal caller recorded 221 passing yards against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
The rookie’s performance against the New York Giants wasn’t as impressive. Sure, New York may have scored 37 points the previous week, but that was against the Dallas Cowboys, who have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Everyone knew that Russell Wilson wouldn’t be able to replicate that type of effort against Kansas City.
Nevertheless, the rookie holding his own is a good sign for the Chiefs’ secondary. With Fulton’s injury history, he could likely get dinged up again this season. Even if that doesn’t happen, Williams could be called upon again if third-year cornerback Jaylen Watson struggles or suffers an injury.
Watson, who suffered a fractured fibula last season, didn’t play well upon his return to the lineup for the playoffs. So far this season, Watson has bounced back nicely through three games. However, he should now be on alert if he has multiple subpar performances in a row, as Williams could be a threat to take his job.
While it has come in limited action, Chiefs Kingdom has to be smiling over Williams looking like a real contributor after being selected in the third round of this year’s draft.
