Joejuan Williams is listed on the official Patriots roster as a defensive back, but according to NFL Media’s Mike Giardi, he’s been meeting with exclusively the safeties this summer.
So, what position does he play?
“For me, it’s really just being versatile,” Williams said via video conference Tuesday. “Just showing the team. Coming into the draft, pretty much, that’s what I said I wanted to accomplish, just showing my value to the team. It helps out lining up at corner, but also knowing what the safeties are doing. Knowing what the ‘money’ and ‘star’ is doing. Again, just understanding the whole defense and being able to plug and play anywhere.
“That’s kind of what I felt like I could do. As of right now, I’m trying to just play anywhere. That’s pretty much it.”
The Vanderbilt product was selected in the second round a year ago as a cornerback, but at the time it was noted how long and tall — 6-foot-3, 212 pounds — he is and how he eventually could transition to safety for a role similar to Patrick Chung.
As a rookie he played just 80 snaps, mostly as a cornerback.
“Of course, younger days, youth football and stuff like that, I played a little bit (of safety),” Williams said. “I played a little bit when I was in high school, my junior year, when our safety broke our leg. But from there, pretty much was at corner.
“But again, coming into (the NFL), I prided myself on, ‘I’m not just a corner. I’m not a safety. I’m a defensive back.’ I feel like I can be plugged and played anywhere. It’s just getting the scheme down, getting the philosophy, and making sure I know what my role is to the team at that moment.”
Given the Patriots’ depth at cornerback, it may be in his best interest to transition to safety.
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