Eagles release Trevor Williams, a potential starter

The Philadelphia Eagles released potential starting defensive back Trevor Williams on Tuesday, a surprising move for a thin secondary.

The Philadelphia Eagles cut former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams on Tuesday, a somewhat surprising move for a secondary which already had depth concerns. While new addition Darius Slay is the clear top cornerback, the depth chart behind him is murky.

With Williams gone, Avonte Maddox, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Sidney Jones all figure to compete for the No. 2 cornerback job. Although Williams barely played with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, his stats were impressive in his three years with the Chargers.

Maddox, Robey-Coleman, and Jones are all somewhat unproven, making Williams’ release even more surprising. For a veteran who has shown an ability to break up passes, one would think that a secondary as thin as Philadelphia’s would keep him around at least until training camp was underway.

However, it appears general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson are confident in their young cornerback group. Maddox has been solid in his first two years with the team, and now appears to be the likely favorite for the starting job.

Robey-Coleman is a journeyman famous for an egregious pass interference no-call in the NFC Championship, while Jones, a high draft pick, has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Williams likely would have been able to compete with all three for a starting position.

While the motivation behind his release is currently unclear, it would not be surprising to see Williams to latch on with another team before or during training camp. NFL teams can never use enough talented defensive backs, and in a tumultuous offseason like 2020, veterans like Williams should be in high demand.

Conversely, the opposite could be true. Teams may prefer roster continuity headed into the season and while making final cuts, so free agents like Williams could be out of luck. All of this remains to be seen, but any team which signs him could be getting a contributor in the secondary.