Brains & brawn make PJ Williams Swiss Army knife of Saints secondary

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Photo credit USA Today

P.J. Williams has been popping-off at Saints practice by creating those all-important takeaways while playing a number of roles in the secondary.

"P.J. is my Swiss Army knife,” said secondary coach Aaron Glenn.  “P.J. can play corner when we need him to play corner. He can go play safety when we need him to play safety. He can play nickel when we need him to play nickel. He can go play dime when we need him to play dime. He can go in and play those positions and there's not a lot of hiccups because he understands the role and does a lot of studying.”

Williams is heading into year 5 with the Saints after getting selected in the 3rd round out of Florida State in 2016. Last season, he was asked to fill-in at the safety spot for the first time in his career and looked comfortable in the role.

"I can process things pretty fast; just being smart, knowing the game,” says Williams. “Also, just my body type. Being physical, being a bigger corner, it is an easy transition to be able to play safety and being able to tackle, play physical. So, just being able to process things is definitely a big thing."

-- @PjWilliams_26 --Photos from Monday's practice --: https://t.co/izOZUR3aRx#SaintsCamp pic.twitter.com/CnkMeQNcyY

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 18, 2020

The processing has been producing early on in camp as the 6ft, 196 pound Williams has become a daily entry in media’s practice notebooks by breaking up passes and hauling in interceptions.

“P.J. is one of my favorite players because of all that he can do and he doesn't have an ego,” said DB’s Coach Glenn. “He's willing to do whatever we ask him to do to help us win and as a coach you like players like that."