A former starting defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions Nick Williams is moving onto his third team in as many years.
The 34-year-old has signed with the San Francisco 49ers, joining fellow former Lions starting defender Tracy Walker in The Bay.
Williams was acquired by the Lions as part of the final free-agent class under Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia. He wound up starting 30 games in two seasons across two different regimes in Detroit. Since leaving, though, he’s started only 13 times in two years across stints with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers.
The journeyman veteran had his best season in 2019, the year before landing in Detroit, when he notched six sacks in only five starts with the Chicago Bears. Williams first broke into the league as a 2013 seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Samford. He’s also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins over the previous decade.
Back here in Detroit, the Lions have solidified their interior defensive line with Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Brodric Martin, Kyle Peko and a handful of players with inside-outside versatility.
McNeill has established himself as a potential breakout star to watch after an impactful showing last season. Reader is one of the NFL’s top nose tackles whenever on the field, but is yet to practice for the Lions since signing in free agency. Martin is a former third-round pick who continues to show signs of growth as a massive presence.
Onwuzurike continues to gain praise for how he’s looked through the offseason program and training camp. The former second-round pick is back above 300 pounds and feeling and looking more like himself.
“Well, the first thing I would say about that is those are the types of players that we bring in the building, so it wasn’t a surprise that he continued to work like that,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said of Onwuzurike.
“The thing that you know is when you’re dealing with a back and when you’re dealing with things like that, man, you just don’t know. I’ve known and had a lot of teammates that I’ve played with that once they had a back issue they were done. But he kept fighting and those are the types of players we bring into this building, so it’s not a surprise.”
