CINCINNATI — Jonah Williams couldn’t hide his happiness.
Only 140 days earlier, his agent issued a trade request. Only 55 days ago, Williams expressed frustration at lack of communication from the Cincinnati Bengals front office since the acquisition of Orlando Brown Jr.
Yet, just over a week into training camp, here was Williams standing in front of his locker cracking jokes, speaking philosophically and repeatedly flashing a smile through a sweat-drenched beard.
Advertisement
“I’m in a good mood,” he said when his demeanor was noticed. “I’m healthy. I’m playing football. I feel good out there. I don’t have anything to complain about. Life is good.”
In a world where fear of the unknown fuels anxiety, Williams sounds worry-free. This spring Williams became a dad for the first time and was surprisingly asked to switch from his career position at left tackle over to the right side in a critical contract year. He found himself treading water in an ocean of unknown.
Now he glows detailing the cherished 15 minutes he gets with his daughter, Pia, every morning.
He discusses the extreme comfort in adjusting to right tackle for the Bengals, what’s been a “seamless” transition in the eyes of his coaches.
He details proudly — as only an offensive lineman can — the grind through two knee injuries last year, including one that forced him to miss two and a half playoff games and have offseason surgery. With both knees 100 percent, he can laugh at it now.
There’s little unknown for Williams anymore. No fear. Just the next rep.
“Every time I do a rep I want it to be better than the one before it,” Williams said, leaning into a granular focus in his position. “I feel smooth. I feel comfortable. I don’t feel awkward. I’m not overthinking it or anything like that. I am just working on my technique getting a little bit better.”
It’s gotten a lot better — at least according to those charged with monitoring such things. Cautious optimism existed over the course of the summer upon hearing how aggressively Williams attacked the rehab of his dislocated left knee while simultaneously retraining his muscles to work the right side instead of the left.
Still, there would be a competition with Jackson Carman because everyone needed to see it first.
After nine practices, they’ve seen plenty.
Advertisement
“He looks like he’s been there for a few years,” Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack said. “I’m impressed. He’s a good player. He’s athletic, he’s a smart player and he’s just grooving that power hand and that power foot, and my hat’s off to him. It’s really been a lot more seamless and smooth than I would anticipate for any guy.”
GO DEEPER
Why Bengals’ Logan Wilson extension was easy and decisions now get harder
Neither Pollack or head coach Zac Taylor would call the competition against Carman over considering they are yet to even reach the joint practice with the Green Bay Packers. But make no mistake, this was always the desired outcome. Williams, the former first-round pick — the first pick of Taylor’s head coaching career, in fact — earned trust holding down the left side for 47 starts.
Taylor said they will take the competition “day by day at this point,” but a decision will come soon enough. There’s been a set rotation with starters and backups each day, and it’s only fair to play that process out.
But the equity built up combined with Williams’ approach and success in camp makes his declaration as the starter a matter of when, not if.
“He looks natural,” Taylor said, admitting someone without knowledge of the situation wouldn’t think twice. “You wouldn’t have noticed, ‘Man, this guy hasn’t played right tackle in a long time.’”
If Williams can play at the level he established in 2021, he will provide the highest level of play at right tackle for the Bengals in more than a decade. A parade of mediocrity or worse dominated that spot for Cincinnati, with journeyman Bobby Hart actually the closest thing to stability since the early years of Andre Smith.
Williams didn’t take the step forward coaches hoped for last season and tied for the league lead among tackles with 12 sacks allowed. Those numbers were real, but not as bad as they sound. Four sacks came in the first three weeks as the line, Joe Burrow and the coaching staff figured out how to play with each other. Williams also started next to fourth-round rookie Cordell Volson. His two worst grades of the year came against Cleveland, as Myles Garrett did what Myles Garrett does.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Williams subluxed his right kneecap in the first half of a Week 5 game at Baltimore, returned in the second half but had to play through an injury that was always going to linger, saying he was never 100 percent after that.
“But I don’t think anybody is playing at 100 percent by the end of the year,” Williams said. “But it’s 100 percent now. And my other one is 110 percent, too.”
If Williams can make the transition from practices to games look as seamless as practices, it will be worth tens of millions of dollars.
The right tackle market boomed in recent years, and now both the left and right side produce top earners. There are 10 left tackles and eight right tackles making more than $17 million per season. Jacksonville right tackle Jawaan Taylor signed with the Chiefs for $20 million per year and Mike McGlinchey, a former first-round pick with a spotty protection history as well, pocketed $17.5 million per year from the Broncos.
Williams is on his fifth-year option and is the third-largest cap hit on the team, making $12.6 million. He will be eligible for free agency after the season. He’ll have five NFL seasons under his belt but doesn’t even turn 26 until this November. His potential versatility to play either side and a solid contract year would easily push his market into the top tier for a league constantly demanding more competent tackles.
The reality of such life-altering ramifications can be hard to process. Doing so while processing the team shifting you to right tackle only increases the degree of difficulty.
Williams found a calming perspective on feeling the pressure of all of it.
“The NFL is so hard,” he said. “The competition you go against is so high that if you don’t come in with that attitude every year, you are going to get killed. I definitely feel that, but I’ve felt that my whole career. I’m trying not to think about it big picture like that. It’s easier for me to attack every day. It’s kind of hard for me to think about big-picture stuff like that, but I’m excited about all those opportunities. I just know I believe in myself and my ability.”
Advertisement
Now playing next to one of his best friends and rock-solid veteran Alex Cappa at right guard, Williams represents a completion of the offensive line puzzle the Bengals have sought to solve since the moment they drafted Burrow. If the Williams experiment takes, he, Cappa, Brown, Volson and center Ted Karras form one of the most experienced, highly-paid lines in the league.
“I think we have the talent, the ability to be the best line in the league,” Williams said.
If so, and this group allows Burrow and the big three receivers time to wreck games, Williams could enter free agency adding a ring to his résumé.
“No other option. We are too close. We are too good,” he said before pausing and again dropping a smile into the conversation. “That’s the awesome thing about the NFL. There are probably 15 teams saying that exact thing right now.”
Those are concerns for another day, another month, another year. In order to keep the renewed comfort and good vibes going, the big picture had to fade away.
Eliminate the unknown one kick-step at a time.
“When I do things the right way like I do, I’ll be able to achieve what I want to achieve,” Williams said. “Just focus on today, but I do know that will help me in the long run. I feel like I am in a good position, and I know I have the right attitude. I’m just going to keep on keeping on.”
(Top photo: Ian Johnson / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.
