The Arizona Cardinals lost two offensive linemen and a safety to injuries in Sunday’s loss to the N.Y. Giants, which will turn the spotlight on two unheralded rookies when the Detroit Lions come to Arizona this weekend.
And both have Williams as their last name.
Seventh-round pick Jayden Williams replaced left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. on the final snap of Sunday’s loss to the Giants and will start against the Lions after Johnson was placed on injured reserve because of a torn biceps.
Undrafted free agent safety Wydett Williams Jr. stepped in Sunday when Andrew (everyone calls him Dewey) Wingard exited the game after the third snap with a knee injury and played 64 snaps. While Wingard did not practice Wednesday, head coach Mike LaFleur said the injury wasn’t
as bad as the team thought after the game, but it appears unlikely he will play this week. His absence might not be lengthy, and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson returned to practice in a limited fashion Wednesday, so he could be trending toward being available soon.
Still, it’s likely the Cardinals will be counting on J. Williams to man left tackle against Detroit.
Overall, there will be increased scrutiny on the offensive line with Johnson out and right guard Isaiah Adams unavailable after injuring his ankle against the Lions. Adams also missed the season-opening win over the Chargers, with Jon Gaines II getting the start.
Center Hjalte Froholdt told the team website that when J. Williams entered the huddle for the final play, he said to him, "Hey Jayden, you (expletive) got this!" JWilliams calmly responded, “Sure, I got it." And he blocked the play well.
"Even through camp it's like, Jayden is actually playing some really good ball right now. It's been good to see. He doesn't seem like the moment is too big. You never know. But he seems to have a cool about him."
Of Jayden Williams, LaFleur said this week, “Really, really impressed with Jayden. He’s wise beyond his years. He played big-time college football, so we have a lot of confidence in him. He’s been doing some stuff in the 13 personnel game when we go with the two tight ends plus him, and he’s not limited to just the run game.”
“He’s tough, smart and played a lot of football,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett said. “Football doesn’t really seem too big for him in this league, and he kind of does everything right, especially as young as he is. You see him every day. Before he was the guy, he was still coming in and doing all the pre-practice stuff, staying late — things of that nature. So it helps (to) give you the confidence that he’s going to be the right guy for the job.”
After practice Wednesday, J. Williams said, "At the end of the day it's just football. I got the whole week of practice, I'll have the game plan, I'll just keep doing what I do every week. There's nothing to be nervous about. I've been playing since I was in the sixth grade."
J. Williams got the usual message earlier in the week after talking to Johnson, who emphasized that injuries are obviously a part of the game and everyone has to move forward.
As LaFleur said, "I feel for him (Johnson), obviously — just all these guys. It sucks. It sucks for him first and foremost. It sucks obviously for the Arizona Cardinals, our offense, this team. But (it’s) NFL football. Here we are in October — the show goes on.”
The even-keeled J. Williams concluded, "My approach to everything has always been, even when I was a freshman in college and coach would tell you, force them to play you. That's the mentality I've had. So even if I'm not that guy, I have to force them to play me. Be so good that they are like, 'OK, we have a good one on the sideline.'"
Meanwhile, the Cardinals signed former first-round pick, 27-year-old Jedrick Wills Jr. to the 53-man roster off the Bills practice squad Wednesday. A first-round pick for the Browns in 2020 (when Brissett was in Cleveland), Wills started 45 of 50 games at left tackle from 2020-2022, but a knee injury limited him to 13 games with 12 starts combined in 2023 and 2024, and he sat out the 2025 season working to get his knee right.
Last March, he signed a one-year minimum salary contract with the Bears ($1.215 million with nothing guaranteed), but was released by Chicago with an injury settlement because of a back issue in the roster reduction to 53. He then signed to Buffalo’s practice squad, where the Cardinals plucked him.
It’s a no-risk move for the Cardinals to find out if Wills can stay healthy, but they will only know that if he actually plays. J. Williams hopes to play well enough to keep the job, with 2025 undrafted free agent Josh Fryar also on the roster.
When asked before practice Wednesday whether J. Williams has the opportunity to earn significant playing time, LaFleur said, “Well, yes, because we brought him in. With the NFL rosters and the size, you are one, two, or maybe three snaps away from being in, so clearly, he’ll have an opportunity. He’s played a lot of ball in this league, obviously a high draft pick and (spent) a number of years as a starter. Excited to get him on the grass today.”
Brissett said of their time together with the Browns when asked if he might have had any influence on the signing, “I had the utmost confidence in him then. Thought he played pretty well for us. Did I have any influence? I don’t think I have any influence on personnel pickups, but I definitely agree with it. He’s one of the guys that we probably needed to bring in. If and when he gets his opportunity, I’m sure he’s going to make the most of it.”
The Cardinals had moved on from Kelvin Beachum in the offseason, signing Elijah Wilkinson to play right tackle and Matt Pryor as a swing tackle. Pryor was signed off the Cardinals' practice squad last week by the Patriots.
As for Wydett Williams and the job he did taking over for Wingard, LaFleur said Monday, “It sucked, obviously, with the situation for why he had to go in there, but I have a lot of confidence in him. I thought he had a really good preseason. He earned the roster spot, as I told him, not just from (special) teams or anything like that, but by being a safety. He’ll just get more and more comfortable as he’s out there and hopefully Dewey’s back in a short time.”
Noting what he did in the preseason, LaFleur concluded, “I think he was just showing up. He was around the ball a lot. You could really see it in that Green Bay game. Not going to talk about who was going to make the team before that, but there were discussions about him and I thought he did a really good job in that game. (I) was impressed within the week on scout team and all that and he did some good things yesterday.”
Slot cornerback Garrett Williams has been impressed with his last name counterpart and said he “did great” against the Giants, adding, “But that’s the thing with him. He's been prepared. He's been working hard ever since he got here. He's been locked in doing what he's had to do.
“Whatever his role was at that current time, just being able to maximize it. So, him being able to step in, nobody really was worried about him going in because he stays ready. He's prepared himself even in preseason. He stood out, and it's just carrying over to the season.”
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals counting on 2 rookie Williams players in Week 5
