The Jacksonville Jaguars will have no shortage of weapons at receiver next season. Brian Thomas Jr. is making a comeback bid, while Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers give Trevor Lawrence a pair of reliable targets. Despite the fact that Travis Hunter will play cornerback full-time next season, he'll also log snaps on offense. With so many options in the passing game, it's easy to forget that rookie CJ Williams is doing his best to join the conversation.
Although Williams is currently stuck on the bottom half of the depth chart, he made a strong impression in the offseason and may give the Jags no choice but to put him on the football field if he keeps making flashing in training camp.
The Jaguars could have an impact contributor in CJ Williams
CJ Williams was the talk of Organized Team Activities. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native made plays nearly on a daily basis and is virtually a lock to make the team. That said, he may not get much early playing time as a rookie and could even be inactive for a couple games... unless he keeps turning heads in training camp.
See, Williams slid to Round 6 because he didn't put up good numbers at Stanford. Sure, he lacks burst and needs to work on his route running but possesses superb tracking skills and the physicality to make plays. This is a long-winded way to say that the former Cardinal has enough tools to develop into a viable weapon for Jacksonville.
For his part, Williams doesn't think he could have landed on a better team, noting that he's benefited from being part of a talented wide receiver room.
"Yeah, I mean, it's crazy how great this receiver room is," Williams told News4Jax at OTAs (3:56 mark). "I don't think a lot of people outside the building realize it, but trust me, when me and Josh, me and the other receiver walked in here, we all knew what we were kind of going to see from these guys, how hard they would work, how attentive they would be, and how detailed they are. Just based on the guys they wanted to draft, I know that's something that they want in the receiver room."
Williams continued, "So, having guys like Parker, who will give you a little tidbit here, for me it's been Jacoby. I think Jacoby's done a really good job of putting himself, putting me under his arm and just letting me, you know, sag behind him and different things. I don't know, and then Brian, watching BT make all these plays, I hear it motivates you for sure."
Later in the exchange, Williams says he's doing anything he's asked from him.
"And then it's exciting to learn from these guys, exciting to help where I can, obviously, whether it's picking up some blocks, making a couple catches, whatever it may be, just doing what I can, doing my due diligence every day, and pushing them, and helping them, having them push me, it's great."
Will that ultimately be enough for CJ Williams to earn a role as a rookie? It's hard to tell, but there's no doubt that he could make things interesting in training camp if he keeps making an impression.
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