New Eagles CB Greedy Williams hopes the rocky part of his career is behind him

Greedy Williams was just 6 months old when his aunt noticed something about him.

“He said I was drinking a lot of milk,” Williams said. “So he came up with (the nickname) Greedy Deedy and my mom just kicked Deedy out and he’s been Greedy ever since.”

That nickname is still going strong 25 years later, Williams explained at his introductory news conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Williams was drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft out of LSU in 2019 and while not his career, Williams has a career high of 39 games and 21 starts.

But Greedy wants more.

Of course.

Because it wasn’t that long ago that Williams was a top prospect coming out of LSU, a school known for producing star defensive backs. And Williams (6-2, 185) was getting legitimate first-round buzz during the pre-draft process and that didn’t slow down when he ran a 4.37 at the combine.

Even after Williams fell to No. 46 in the second round, there were still plenty of people who expected his ceiling to be a true CB1 in the NFL.

It didn’t work that way.

“A little Rocky,” Williams admitted Tuesday. “Years up and down and things like that. It’s been up and down a bit with me.”

After starting 12 games in 2019, Williams missed the entire second season with a severe nerve injury in his shoulder. He came back in 2021 and had some success but couldn’t become a star and then was a depth player in 2022.

How did Williams get through those rocky moments?

“Prayer, family, family with great support. It happens,” Williams said. “It’s in the game, but I’m over it now. I’m excited. I think I’m feeling good. It’s just all about refreshing and restarting. I’m excited.”

It’s interesting that Williams uses those two words: Refresh and restart. Those are the same words that shortstop Rashaad Penny said during his introductory press conference in Philly earlier this week.

The Eagles apparently have a type in the offseason. With the bulk of the big money for free agents on the team in 2022, the Eagles are taking some flyers for players with low-risk, high-reward contracts. Williams, Penny, Justin Evans to name a few.

There’s a very good chance Williams won’t live up to his draft status, but there must be a sense of release for a player to leave town and take over a team that was once so highly regarded. With the Eagles, Williams is eager to play his role, and will likely compete with Zech McPhearson for the backup cornerback spot behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

Williams looks forward to sharing a defensive back room with a pair of veterans with as much experience and still thinks back to when he got some advice from Slay in 2019 during the pre-draft process. Both have already been contacted since free agency. it started

The Eagles got an up-close look at Williams last summer when the Birds visited Berea, Ohio, to train with the Browns. There was a viral clip of AJ Brown catching a touchdown pass over Williams. But that battle reminded Williams of tough matchups against players like Brown and DeVonta Smith in the SEC.

Williams said that competitiveness drew him to Philly. That should make coach Nick Sirianni very happy.

“It just suited me and who I am,” Williams said.

That his nickname seems like the perfect nickname for a defensive back is not lost on Williams. “I’ve got to get these, man,” he said. But that’s something Williams hasn’t been able to do much of in his career. He has just two career interceptions and both came in the 2021 season.

Williams is right that his career has been rocky so far. And he may never live up to his second-round draft status. But the Eagles don’t need either. They just need to compete and fulfill their role.

What does Williams think his future holds?

“Great career,” Williams said. “Blessed to be here and keep going. Honestly, I don’t look too far. I stay where my feet are and focus on the main journey.’

That’s what everyone wants. That’s not greed at all.

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