The Cardinals had up and down play from some of the top receivers on their depth chart last season, but third-round pick Chad Williams wasn’t able to make a move up the ladder during the downswings.
Williams played 98 offensive snaps all year as he only appeared in six games and caught just three passes for 31 yards when he was given a chance in the lineup. Williams said that the length of the season and the size of the playbook both worked against him as a rookie.
Two of the receivers that were ahead of him have moved on to other teams this offseason with Brice Butler and second-round pick Christian Kirk joining a group fronted by Larry Fitzgerald. The changes should leave snaps for the taking this offseason and Williams consulted former star wideout Chad Johnson for help in positioning himself to grab them.
“He actually took my mind to another level,” Williams said, via Kent Somers of AZCentral.com. “He prepped my mind more than he prepped my feet. It was me and Chad going at each other every day. He’s probably one of the most confident people I’ve ever met. He feels like you can’t beat him at nothing. Same way I feel. I told him, ‘I guess all Chads must be like this.’”
Whether it is Williams, Butler, Kirk or J.J. Nelson, the Cardinals need someone to step up as a complement to Fitzgerald to round out their offense before September rolls around.