The 2020 tampering period is less than a day old and the Detroit Lions have already agreed to terms with several players, including defensive lineman Nick Williams.
Early expectations are that he will be part of the rotation at defensive tackle, splitting time with Da’Shawn Hand (my projected starter) and Kevin Strong. Williams is capable of seeing some snaps at the 1-technique spot but won’t be a heavy contributor there.
Athletically, Williams is very similar to Hand as you can see below in a comparison of Pride of Detroit’s Kent Platte’s RAS cards:
Williams is very athletic, but as a late bloomer, he also needs to show that he can use that athleticism to be productive beyond just what he showed last season in Chicago.
Factoring in the reported contract the Lions gave Williams — 2 years, $10 million — it appears the Lions believe he can be a consistent part of the rotation and will likely assume the role vacated by A’Shawn Robinson.
With Hand and Strong returning and the expectation of Williams to contribute, the Lions look to be content to open the season with this three-man rotation at the 3/5-technique position. Although, if the Lions are concerned about the injuries to Hand/Strong, it’s still possible they look to add one more veteran defensive tackle — potentially re-signing Mike Daniels.
While they appear set at 3/5-technique, there is still a starting job open at the nose tackle position and that position is very much open to adding a quality player. That could mean the Lions try to add a player like D.J. Reader, Marcell Dareus, or Michael Pierce in free agency, or look to the draft by targeting Derrick Brown (Auburn) or Leki Fotu (Utah).
