Chiefs defensive tackle Xavier Williams is hard at work this offseason.
He’s enlisted the help of Chuck Smith also known as “Dr. Rush” in order to help him perfect his craft as a pass rusher. Back in his playing days, Smith was a dominant edge rusher for the Atlanta Falcons. Now he he helps young defenders get better at getting to the quarterback. He’s trained current NFL greats like Von Miller, Aaron Donald, and even former Chiefs OLB Dee Ford.
Williams was surprisingly successful as a pass rusher for the Chiefs in 2018. He finished the season with 2.5 sacks for the Chiefs, when most didn’t expect that type of production. Williams will likely still play a lot of nose tackle in 2019, which means he’ll have to work to defeat a lot of double teams. The pass rush techniques that Smith teaches can certainly help combat those double teams.
Check out a quick video of some the work Smith and Williams are doing above.
The switch to the 4-3 scheme makes me wonder if we might see Williams playing more 3-Technique. Especially given the fact that his 2018 production was so encouraging. He has the size and quickness to be an effective 3-Tech in a 4-3, and he could potentially spell Chris Jones or allow him to play some on the edge. The sky is the limit in this new scheme, especially if Williams becomes a better pass rushing threat.
