LA Chargers: Should the team re-sign Trevor Williams?

Former LA Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams has been released by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Former LA Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams’ career with the Philadelphia Eagles is over before it even started. Just months after signing a futures contract with the team, the Eagles released Williams on Tuesday as part of their roster cuts.

NFL teams must get their rosters down to 80 for training camp as there will be no preseason games this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams was one of the players that got caught in the crossfire as the Eagles had to cut down from 90 players.

Williams signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2016 season and spent four years with the team. However, Williams was placed on the injured reserve in September of 2019 and did not play a single snap for the Bolts in his last season with the team.

He did get some NFL snaps, though, as Williams was waived by the Chargers and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Williams played two games for Arizona, although he only appeared on special teams.

Williams is now free to sign with any team in the league, which raises a specific question since he has prior connections to the Bolts.

Should the LA Chargers re-sign Trevor Williams?

This is kind of cheating, but there are two answers to this question. Let’s break them both down, shall we?

1. Should the LA Chargers re-sign Trevor Williams? Yes.

I think it would be a smart move. On paper, Williams is a perfect late addition to this Chargers’ team. Not only is he already comfortable with the defensive schemes that Gus Bradley utilizes but he gives the team more depth at the CB2 position.

Brandon Facyson and Michael Davis will be splitting time there with Chris Harris likely spending more time at slot corner. Williams simply gives the team another option if those two disappoint while also possessing a high ceiling himself.

RELATED: How zero preseason games will affect the LA Chargers

In the one season that Williams played all 16 games he was great and was viewed as one of the best young corners in the game. If he is even 80 percent of what he was in 2017 then he will be better than both Davis and Facyson.

Plus, the Chargers do not have that many roster cuts to make. The active roster currently stands at 85 and that is counting the 19 undrafted free agents that the team signed. While it sucks for those UDFAs, I would rather give Williams, a former UDFA with NFL experience, a chance to earn a roster spot over an incoming UDFA.

On paper, this makes a lot of sense. However, not everything happens on paper, leading to the second answer.

2. Will the LA Chargers re-sign Trevor Williams? I do not think so.

Look, the LA Chargers deal with injuries arguably more than any other team in the league and Williams was a prime example of that. He could not stay on the field in 2018 and 2019 and the Chargers let him go because of it.

Even if he is healthy now, the Chargers know his history with injuries and probably would rather give that roster spot to a UDFA that can prove himself rather than someone who might not even be able to stay on the field.

There is a reason why the team released Williams last year and there is a reason why the Chargers eventually gave up on Jason Verrett as well. Some guys just never shake that injury bug and with Williams not playing a single defensive snap since the Chargers let him go, it is hard for me to see the team just switch course and bring him back.

Plus, I do not think Tom Telesco views CB2 as a big need. The team already has a stacked secondary and I think Chris Harris is going to play outside more than the team is letting on.