Connor Williams (American football)
No. 57 –Seattle Seahawks | |||||||
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Position: | Center | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Coppell, Texas,U.S. | May 12, 1997||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Coppell | ||||||
College: | Texas(2015–2017) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2018/ round: 2 / pick: 50 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024 | |||||||
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Connor Williams(born May 12, 1997) is an American professionalfootballcenterfor theSeattle Seahawksof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballatTexas,and has previously played in the NFL for theDallas CowboysandMiami Dolphins.
Early life
[edit]Williams attendedCoppell High School.As a freshman, he started the last 3 games atright tackle.As a sophomore, he was moved totight end,but by the end of the season he was switched toleft tackle.
As a senior, he was a two-way player, allowing one sack and one holding penalty, while making 38 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks, 5 quarterback pressures, 5 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed. He was a second-team 6A All-State and an All-district selection.
Williams was a teammate of futureNFLplayerSolomon Thomas.He also playedbasketball.
College career
[edit]Williams accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Texas.As a freshman, he started all 12 games atleft tackle.[1]
The next year, he started 11 out of 12 games atleft tackleand was considered by the media and coaches one of the bestoffensive tacklesincollege football.He became just the fourth sophomore in school history to receive consensus first-teamAll-Americanhonors.
As a junior, he suffered a left knee injury in the third game againstUSC.He returned to play in the eleventh game againstWest Virginia University.He started only five out of 12 games atleft tackle(first 3 and final 2 regular season contests). On November 27, 2017, Williams announced that he would forgo his senior year in favor of the2018 NFL draft,and that he would not play in the2017 Texas Bowl.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft5+1⁄8in (1.96 m) |
296 lb (134 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
10+1⁄2in (0.27 m) |
5.05 s | 1.72 s | 2.89 s | 4.63 s | 7.83 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
26 reps | |
All values fromNFL Combine[3][4] |
Dallas Cowboys
[edit]Williams was selected by theDallas Cowboysin the second round (50th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, with the intention of playing him atguard.[5][6]He was named the starting left guard, starting the first eight games before being benched in Week 10 in favor ofXavier Su'a-Filo.He then started two games at right guard in place of an injuredZack Martin.
In 2019, he entered the season as the Cowboys' starting left guard. He started 11 games, missing one due to arthroscopic knee surgery, before suffering a torn ACL in Week 13.[7]He was placed on injured reserve on December 1, 2019.[8]
In 2020, he was able to recover from a torn ACL to start all 16 games at left guard for the first time in his career, missing just one snap on offense (in the season opener). He also had to adjust to four different startingquarterbacksduring the season.
In 2021, although he was tried briefly atcenterduring training camp, he remained at his traditional left guard position.[9]His play regressed during the first 10 weeks, when he led the league with 13 penalties (8 for holding). He was benched the next 4 games in favor of third-year guardConnor McGovern.[10]As a backup, he was able to show his versatility when he suited up atfullbackin one game. He got his starting position back in Week 15, but struggled in the final five games of the season, ranking second in the league with 15 penalties (13 for holding). He also had problems in the Wild Card playoff loss against theSan Francisco 49ers,receiving 2 key penalties. He still managed to finish the year with the fewest pressures allowed by any Cowboy offensive lineman to start a game and surrendered only one sack.
Miami Dolphins
[edit]On March 17, 2022, Williams signed a two-year, $14 million contract with theMiami Dolphins.[11]He was switched tocenterand named the starter overMichael Deiterduringorganized team activities.He started in all 17 games, allowing 3 sacks and 6 penalties. He was the only player to participate in 100 percent of the offensive snaps (1,057) for the team.
On June 6, 2023, Williams was not present for mandatory mini-camp with the Dolphins. Head CoachMike McDanielconfirmed it was not an excused absence, as Williams was looking for a contract extension.[12][13]Later that off-season, during training camp, he confirmed he was "focused on football, straight on," while the Dolphins waited to make cap space.[14]
On August 8, 2023, Williams started the2023NFL season as the first-string center on the depth chart.[15]On August 29,Dan Feeneywas traded to theChicago Bears,while Alama Uluave was delegated to the practice squad, leaving Williams as the first-string center for the Dolphins.[16][17]
In Week 3 against theDenver Broncos,Williams suffered a groin injury.[18]He was marked inactive the following Sunday against theBuffalo Bills,withLiam Eichenbergnamed starter instead. He suffered a season endingACLtear in Week 14 against the Titans and was placed on injured reserve on December 13, 2023.[19]
Seattle Seahawks
[edit]On August 6, 2024, Williams agreed to a one–year, $6 million contract with theSeattle Seahawks.[20]
Personal life
[edit]Williams' brother, Dalton, also played football forStephen F. AustinandAkron.He has been outspoken about his experiences with bullies inmiddle school.His mother is of Mexican descent.[21]
References
[edit]- ^Eberts, Wescott (November 17, 2016)."Connor Williams named an Outland Trophy semifinalist".
- ^Trapasso, Chris (November 28, 2017)."Texas' Connor Williams declares for 2018 NFL Draft: Profile, ranking, NFL fits".CBS Sports.RetrievedApril 28,2018.
- ^"Connor Williams Draft and Combine Prospect Profile".NFL.March 1, 2018.RetrievedMarch 1,2018.
- ^"Texas OT Connor Williams: 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile".NFLDraftScout.RetrievedMay 12,2018.
- ^"The Dallas Cowboys select Connor Williams with the 50th pick in the 2018 NFL draft".BloggingTheBoys.April 27, 2018.RetrievedMay 28,2018.
- ^"Mike Mayock's pick-by-pick draft analysis for Rounds 2-3 results".NFL.RetrievedApril 28,2018.
- ^Alper, Josh (November 29, 2019)."Connor Williams tore his ACL Thursday".Pro Football Talk.NBC Sports.
- ^Eatman, Nick (December 1, 2019)."Williams to IR; Cowboys Add Versatile Guard".DallasCowboys.
- ^Helman, David (July 25, 2021)."Connor Williams Getting Work As No. 2 Center".DallasCowboys.
- ^Gehlken, Maichael (December 16, 2021)."Cowboys LG Connor Williams appears poised to reclaim his spot in starting lineup".Dallasnews.
- ^"OL Connor Williams signing 2-year, $14 million deal with Miami Dolphins, agents say".ESPN.March 15, 2022.RetrievedMarch 15,2022.
- ^"Dolphins C Williams will not attend minicamp".ESPN.June 6, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Dolphins starting center Connor Williams skipping mandatory minicamp".The Palm Beach Post.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Zach Sieler and Connor Williams Must Play Waiting Game For Extension".Sports Illustrated Miami Dolphins News, Analysis and More.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Breaking Down the Dolphins' First Depth Chart of 2023".Sports Illustrated Miami Dolphins News, Analysis and More.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Miami Dolphins Sign Eight to Practice Squad".miamidolphins.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Roster Move: Bears acquire veteran OL Dan Feeney from Miami".chicagobears.RetrievedSeptember 24,2023.
- ^"Dolphins' Connor Williams: Inactive Sunday".CBSSports.October 1, 2023.RetrievedOctober 2,2023.
- ^"Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves".MiamiDolphins.December 13, 2023.
- ^"Free-agent center Connor Williams agrees to deal with Seahawks".seattletimes.RetrievedAugust 6,2024.
- ^"How Connor Williams turned tables on bullies en route to NFL".NFL.Archived fromthe originalon December 25, 2017.RetrievedApril 28,2018.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- 1997 births
- All-American college football players
- American football offensive tackles
- American sportspeople of Mexican descent
- Dallas Cowboys players
- People from Coppell, Texas
- Players of American football from Dallas County, Texas
- Players of American football from Denton County, Texas
- Texas Longhorns football players
- Miami Dolphins players
- Coppell High School alumni
- Seattle Seahawks players