Bleeding Green Nation
If only the salary cap wasn’t an issue …
It’s the NFL offseason, so it’s time to get into the Eagles’ upcoming free agents before we get into draft season. I’ll give my general thoughts and some clips to back them up, then conclude with my overall thoughts on the player and whether he should be re-signed. This time, I will look at Milton Williams. All stats in this one are Pro Football Focus and from the regular season only.
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Previously: Zack Baun
I expected to see an excellent pass rusher, but the pass rushing numbers are outstanding. Ranking 2nd in pass rushing productivity and 4th in pass rushing win % is impressive. The run defense numbers aren’t great, but we will get into that later. The snaps played number is interesting to consider, too.
Milton William's strength is winning one-on-one matchups and getting after the quarterback. I’m starting the obvious here, but he’s a very good interior pass rusher. This trait is going to get him paid. He’s always been a good pass rusher since he entered the league and teams will also spend big on individuals who can win in pass rushing situations.
He doesn’t just win his one-on-one matchups when rushing the quarterback. I know the numbers above point to a poor run defender, but I don’t see a huge weakness against the run in William’s game. He isn’t just a 3rd down pass rushing specialist. He can win on early downs, too. He’s a 3-down defensive lineman.
One of Milton Williams’ biggest strengths is his versatility. He is a 3-technique, but he can line up further out wide and even take some reps as an EDGE defender if needed. This versatility benefited the Eagles this season as the Eagles' defensive line was unpredictable and could shift at the last minute. Williams is probably the 2nd most versatile defensive lineman on the Eagles’ roster right now, and he will be missed if he is not on the roster next season.
Right, this is a very good play by Milton Williams. It’s not his fault that he plays next to Jalen Carter, but you must consider it when evaluating Carter. Carter is the Eagles’ best defensive player. He’s frequently commanding double teams, and offensive lines often shift towards his side. This allows Milton Williams to get a lot of one-on-one matchups. If another team pays Milton Williams like a top defensive lineman, he won’t get this many one-on-one matchups next year! He’s never been the top guy on a defensive line, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to that.
Finally, the PFF numbers at the top show a pretty poor run defender. I’m not sure I agree with that. However, I think good offensive...
