Timmy Jernigan wasn’t the only defensive tackle to meet with the Broncos this week. The club also auditioned five other interior linemen, including former first round pick Sylvester Williams, per the league’s official record. Darius Kilgo, David Moa, Brian Price, and Niles Scott also took part in the audition. 
[RELATED: Broncos To Sign Timmy Jernigan]
Williams, 31, has not lived up to his billing as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Still, he’s been mostly employed for the last seven seasons. Williams has played for the Titans, Lions, and Dolphins, and Chargers since leaving the Broncos. The Saints rostered him briefly last summer.
The 330-pound veteran appeared in five games for the Bolts last year, but wasn’t first-string for any of those appearances. The bulk of his 63 career starts came with the Broncos, followed by eleven starts with the Titans in 2017. He might not be a world-beater, but he does come with ample experience, including two Super Bowl starts.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Broncos are still in the market for a defensive tackle or nose tackle after signing Jernigan. But, at minimum, they should have a couple of candidates on their emergency list, which is pretty key given their rash of injuries this year.
Did anyone else read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble when they were kids?
Dwayne Johnson…and his wish to become a rock was also granted.
He was pretty bad in Denver his first time around. The first Super Bowl start came with Terrance Knighton as the actual starter, who was Denver’s last solid defensive tackle (not counting Domata Peko’s productive stint as a rotational player that got pushed into heavier duties). Williams held on to the job somehow, despite being a disappointment, during the Super Bowl win the next year, and after Denver rid themselves of Danny Trevathan and T.J. Ward as run defenders, Williams proved that he was not talented enough to stop the run on his own.
As depth, though, we’ll see. The Jernigan signing looked better to me than this one, but if Williams is expected to be a second or third string space eater behind Purcell and Williams, perhaps it could work. The trouble for Denver is if they expect either of those two, Williams in particular, to sub for Casey on the edge. I suppose they just need bodies to be on the field at this point. Williams has managed to extend his career considerably, so he may offer better production this time around. I am curious to see how much he has progressed since his first time in Denver.
Desperate times call for desperate moves.