The Cardinals released Williams on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Williams started 31 games for the Bengals between 2018 and 2019, totaling at least 110 tackles in each season. However, he was held to just 85 snaps across 13 games in 2020. The 30-year-old safety will be immediately eligible to sign with another team.
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Cardinals' Shawn Williams: Off NFI list, not practicing
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Williams (undisclosed) has been activated off the non-football injury list, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Williams was expected to miss multiple weeks when he was first diagnosed with his unknown injury, but in an encouraging move, he has been activated off the non-football injury list. However, the 30-year-old is still not practicing with his new team. This may just be a precaution, but it is worth monitoring as the Cardinals approach their first preseason game on Aug. 13.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury said he expects Williams (undisclosed) to be out a couple weeks but doesn't have an exact timeline for the safety's return, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Williams is on the non-football injury list. It sounds like he has a chance of healing up in time for the Aug. 13 preseason opener against Dallas, but Williams' absence may extend beyond that point as well.
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Cardinals' Shawn Williams: Joins forces with Cardinals
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Arizona signed Williams to a one-year contract Monday.
Williams brings eight years of experience to Arizona's secondary. He spent the entirety of his career to date in Cincinnati, where he was a starter from 2016-19 before being relegated to a depth role last season. Two of those years were spent working with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Makes just one tackle
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Williams recorded one solo tackle in Sunday's 19-7 loss to the Dolphins.
Williams' day ended early after the safety got into a scuffle in the second half and was ejected. He likely won't be suspended for his actions, meaning he'll be available in Week 14 against the Cowboys.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Active at Philadelphia
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Williams (calf) is listed as active Week 3 against Philadelphia, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams appeared to have the backing of the coaching staff this week despite being limited in each practice session, but he'll ultimately end up taking the field for his season debut. The 29-year-old is coming off back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, but is expected to serve primarily in a depth role as he's eased back into action.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Officially questionable for Week 3
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Williams (calf) is considered questionable for Sunday's game versus the Eagles.
Coach Zac Taylor said Williams would be ready to make his season debut Sunday, but the team's injury report casts some doubt on his status. However, it does appear the 29-year-old safety is trending in the right direction, and if he indeed suits up, expect to see him line up on special teams with a rotational role on defense Sunday.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Unavailable for season opener
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Williams (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's game versus the Chargers, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.
Williams will miss his first game since the 2017 season, but he was expected to lose the starting job to Vonn Bell despite another season with 100-plus tackles. With Williams ruled out, Brandon Wilson will be the primary backup for Bell and Jessie Bates, and Williams will look to shake off the injury quickly before Week 2's Thursday matchup versus the Browns.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Kept instead of Kirkpatrick
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The Bengals decided to keep Williams on the roster instead of Dre' Kirkpatrick in the wake of their free agency moves in the secondary, Chris Rolling of USA Today reports.
Williams has a cheaper price tag than Kirkpatrick and can play multiple positions, though his stint as a linebacker last year was more of a last resort and didn't go all that well.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Career-high tackles in 2019
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Williams recorded 114 tackles (80 solo), one sack, three defended passes and one interception aross 16 regular-season games in 2019.
Williams played an every-down role at strong safety for the Bengals in 2019, surpassing 1,000 defensive snaps in a season for the first time in his career. He's on track to reprise a similar role for Cincinnati in the 2020 season, giving him respectable value in IDP formats.
Williams made three tackles (two solo) in Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Patriots.
Williams entered this contest averaging 7.2 tackles per game, and this was the third time in four weeks that the veteran finished with three tackles. It has been a disappointing stretch for Williams, but he sits at 97 tackles on the year and is within reach of his career high (110).
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Plays every snap
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Williams played all 56 defensive snaps and recorded six tackles (five solo) in the process during Sunday's loss to the Browns.
Williams has played in all 13 of of the Bengals' games so far this season, including 12 starts. He is now up to 56 tackles (39 solo) an one interception. The 28-year-old will look to continue producing in Week 15 versus the Patriots.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Sheds injury tag
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Williams (thumb) was a full participant in Friday's practice.
Williams has resumed practicing without restrictions after beginning the week with back-to-back limited sessions. He's on track to draw his usual start against the Steelers on Sunday.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Nine tackles against Raiders
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Williams registered nine tackles during Sunday's 17-10 loss to Oakland.
Williams yet again logged 100 percent of the defensive snaps and is now averaging exactly eight tackles per game entering a Week 12 showdown with the Steelers.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Active Sunday vs. Ravens
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Williams (thigh) is active for Sunday's Week 6 matchup with Baltimore, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.
Williams was questionable entering Sunday after being held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. He'll figure to start and see his typical role for the Bengals.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Tacks on another nine stops
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Williams made nine tackles (six solo) in Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Bills.
After recording nine pass breakups and five interceptions last year, Williams has yet to post a coverage stat this campaign. The 28-year-old is logging plenty of work, though, playing 71 of 77 possible defensive snaps (91 percent) in Week 3. Williams has a solid IDP floor with 22 tackles through three games, so when he starts getting his hands on the ball, it will be icing on the cake.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Six tackles in loss
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Williams recorded six tackles (four solo) across 53 defensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the Chargers.
Williams is second on the team in tackles this season, trailing only fellow safety Jessie Bates. He'll look to continue racking up the stops Sunday against the Raiders.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Logs one interception and one sack in victory
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Williams logged one interception and one sack in the Bengals' 34-23 victory over the Ravens on Thursday.
Williams additionally forced one fumble and accumulated eight combined tackles. The 27-year-old's impressive defensive performance was key in securing Cincinnati's victory over Baltimore. Williams will once again suit up as the Bengals' starting strong safety against the Panthers in Week 3.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Churns out 49 tackles in 2017
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Williams (back) recorded 49 tackles, three pass breakups, one interception and two fumble recoveries over 11 games in 2017.
Williams had a solid but unspectacular 2017 campaign, allowing quarterbacks to achieve an 85.6 passer rating when throwing into his coverage while grading out as Pro Football Focus' 34th-ranked safety against the pass. However, he struggled to stay healthy, missing the season opener while recovering from a dislocated elbow and then four more games as the season went on due to a lingering hamstring issue before getting knocked out of the Bengals' regular-season finale with an undisclosed back injury. The 2013 third-rounder remains under contract with Cincinnati for another three seasons and could have IDP appeal in 2018 if he retains the starting job at strong safety.
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Bengals' Shawn Williams: Practices fully Thursday
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Williams (concussion) was a full participant at the Bengals' practice Thursday.
Williams exited Sunday's victory over the Lions to be evaluated for a concussion and was a limited practice participant Wednesday. The 26-year-old is unlikely to be fully clear of the concussion protocol at this point and could easily be headed for a questionable tag in Week 17.
