Recent Kansas City Chiefs Acquisition Brandon Williams Has Impressive Debut

Defensive tackle Brandon Williams, who was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad on Nov. 30, was elevated to the active roster on Dec. 8.

In his very first game for the Chiefs, he made his presence felt in the Chiefs’ 34-28 victory against the Denver Broncos.

Lining up between Frank Clark and Chris Jones with 6:43 left in the third quarter, he beat Broncos lineman Graham Glasgow to combine with linebacker Darius Harris on the sack.

“That was huge,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.

Indeed the play came at a critical moment. The Broncos had gained momentum after having come back from 27 points down to cut the lead to 27-21 and having just forced the Chiefs offense into a three and out.

Before joining the Chiefs, the 6-1, 335-pound Williams, who had another quarterback hit against the Broncos in addition to the half sack, had spent the previous nine years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens thought so highly of him that they signed him to a five-year, $52.5 million contract extension during the 2017 offseason. He returned a fumble for a touchdown the ensuing season and received Pro Bowl honors the year after that.

His resume over 114 starts gave the Chiefs reason to sign him to one-year, $1.12 million contract. But in addition he had built a personal rapport with some of the Chiefs defensive staff.

Williams played under Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen from 2016 to 2020 when Cullen held the same role with the Ravens.

“(They have) history,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “Joe speaks very highly of him.”

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also was a senior defensive assistant on the Ravens when Williams, who Baltimore selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, was a rookie.

Williams also has connections to the Show-Me State. He attended Rockwood Summit High in Fenton, Mo. for three years and also played at Missouri Southern State.

After Williams’ sack, Clark took down Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson on the very next play. That was part of an impressive six-sack effort, which included the third straight week with a sack for rookie George Karlaftis.

Along with constant pressure on Wilson, the defense recorded two interceptions, including a pick-six by Willie Gay.

“The defense made a lot of stops in critical moments,” Mahomes said.

Yes, the defense did allow 28 total points and the Broncos to come back from a 27-0 deficit, but Mahomes repeatedly put them in a bad position, tying his career high with three interceptions. (Linebacker Josey Jewell had two of them.)

Reid, though, told his gunslinging quarterback to keep slinging it despite the three turnovers.

“Every quarterback that has played in this league for a while has a game like that,” Reid said. “You can’t take away the three interceptions, but there sure were some good ones in between.”

Those good ones included Mahomes surpassing 300 passing yards for the seventh time in eight games and the usual dose of Mahomes Magic.

This time he threw a no-look pass to Jerick McKinnon for a 56-yard touchdown pass and later pirouetted away from pressure for a touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster despite getting drilled on the play.

Williams’ play is less flashy. He clogs up the middle and provides interior pressure, something he did in his 124th regular-season game.

“He’s been doing it a long time,” Reid said. “He’s a great kid and good football player.”