Rewind back to training camp and Tennessee Titans sophomore linebacker James Williams appeared destined for a starting job. Williams had been receiving all of the first-team reps well into camp. Things started shifting around the second preseason game.
That's when fellow sophomore Cedric Gray began eating into Williams' offseason workload. At some point, the pendulum fully swung in Gray's direction. He's maximized the opportunity, establishing himself as a keynote performer moving forward.
Heading into Sunday's Week 14 contest versus the Cleveland Browns, Gray ranks second in the entire NFL in tackles (118). Meanwhile Willams is still waiting to play his first defensive snap of the season. You have to wonder if Williams will be traded or released this offseason.
Titans sophomore LB James Williams may not have a future in Nashville
The Titans have made Williams a special teams-only option. He's logged the second-most snaps of any player for John "Bones" Fassel with 247. It's almost certainly not the role Williams envisioned for himself back in July and August, and frustration could begin bubbling, if it already hasn't.
General manager Mike Borgonzi didn't draft Williams. He inherited him from previous GM Ran Carthon. To state the obvious, Borgonzi inherited Gray from Carthon too, but all parties involved obviously prefer Gray over Williams.
Borgonzi hasn't hesitated to put his fingerprints on the roster. He's already traded one player he deemed a misfit from Williams' 2024 draft class in Jarvis Brownlee, and released another in Jha'Quan Jackson. It wouldn't qualify as shocking if Borgonzi decided to part ways with Williams once the season is over.
Williams recently took practice reps at EDGE. That probably wasn't a great sign for his future as an off-ball linebacker with the Titans. The once-promising draft pick has endured an incredibly disappointing sophomore campaign. It's hard to envision a pathway back to relevance in Nashville.