It took his third go-round with the Denver Broncos, but defensive tackle DeShawn Williams finally struck gold in the NFL. Joining the Broncos for the third time back in 2020, Williams did enough to impress then-head coach Vic Fangio, earning a place on the roster.
Soon after, Williams became a go-to role player, starting 11 games for Denver in 2020. He would hold onto that job, starting 32 games combined over the next two years.
After a disappointing 2022 season for the Broncos, a new coaching staff has taken over, led by Sean Payton. And as is so often the case in the NFL, that new staff has its own designs on how to build the roster and who to keep.
As an unrestricted free agent, many expected Williams to follow Fangio to Miami, but he instead signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. Both Williams and Dre'Mont Jones — two of Denver's three defensive-line starters last year — will be collecting paychecks elsewhere in 2023.
Not long after signing his new Panthers contract, Williams took to Twitter to send a message to Broncos Country.
"Want to say Broncos Country going to miss y’all. The countless times getting cut and coming back. Seeing me grown to the player I knew I could be, with a chance. To Carolina thank you for the opportunity for giving me another chance and opportunity," Williams tweeted.
The Broncos are rearranging the D-line pieces with new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. While Williams and Jones are gone, nose tackle D.J. Jones will reprise his role in the middle of Denver's D-line, with some help from the newly-signed Zach Allen.
Who else starts on the D-line remains to be seen. It could be veteran holdover Mike Purcell, or one of last year's draft picks — Eyioma Uwazurike (fourth round) or Matt Henningsen (sixth).
Necessity is the other of invention, and the Broncos will need a new starter up front. It'll be interesting to see how that competition shakes out between now and September.
Don't discount Denver drafting another defensive trenchman next month, or even the off-chance possibility of one last free-agent signing to bolster the unit.
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