Joejuan Williams Opens Up About Learning From Patriots’ Veteran DBs

The New England Patriots had a really good chance to work on the young defensive players. The Patriots’ defense is mad with a lot of veteran players, so Joejuan Williams and those like him had an opportunity to learn from the best.

The Vanderbilt product learned a lot from Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. According to Williams, it was a blessing.

“I want to be in the league for the long haul. Learning from those guys has been great. Those guys have been my big brothers,” he told Paul Perillo of Patriots.com. “Of course you want to challenge and compete for time. Steph and the McCourtys … learning from those guys standing side by side has been a blessing. As a competitor you want to get out there and play but also you want to sit back and put your team in the best position. If my role is to learn then that is my role.

“It will only make me more valuable and a better player overall for my team if I’m lined up at cornerback and I know what the safety’s assignment is. Knowing the whole defense conceptually makes everything better. You know what other teammates are supposed to be doing. That helps you play quicker and make more plays because you know where your help is supposed to be.”

Joejuan Williams is ready for 2020

In 2019, Williams had a minimal production, and he sees it as a chance to develop fast and make better plays.

“Overall my rookie year was a big learning year for me,” he said. “I didn’t play much at the beginning of the season and I started getting into the rotation on defense and special teams the last few games. That’s when I got most of my snaps.

“But it also gave me a chance to look up to the guys in front of me, watching them and following them was very helpful. Slowly but surely each week you try to build, and you keep doing that and building on top of that and I would try to get one percent better. It was a big learning curve and I’m still learning now.”

Williams will try his talent on safety. Bill Belichick likes his versatility and he will use him in several positions.