When the Bengals signed left tackle Orlando Brown, Jonah Williams — who had been playing the position for Cincinnati — reportedly requested a trade.
To this point, the Bengals have not accommodated that request. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin said before the draft last month that Williams is “a valuable member of our team.”
But there was one team that had a shot at acquiring Williams, according to a Monday report.
Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Jaguars had “real interest” in trading for Williams, with talks occurring between Jacksonville and Cincinnati prior to the draft. But the Bengals elected to keep Williams around and are expecting him to participate at mandatory activities.
With Brown on the club, Williams is likely to play right tackle this season. La'el Collins — who started at right tackle for most of 2022 — will likely be out well into the 2023 season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
With no trade executed, the Jaguars ended up drafting Anton Harrison at No. 27 overall out of Oklahoma to help solidify their offensive line.
The 11th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Williams didn’t play in his rookie year due to a shoulder injury. But he’s started 42 games over the last three seasons.