New York Giants cornerback Jarren Williams played at a small school in college — the University of Albany — and went undrafted in 2020.
Williams was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie free agent but released just three months later. He then signed to the Giants’ practice squad and spent much of his first season there, seeing action in just two regular season games.
But Williams continued to grind and managed to stick with the Giants.
Due to injury, illness and inconsistency, Williams has seen more frequent playing time here in 2021. He’s appeared in four games with two starts and continues to embrace what he calls a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“That’s kind of how I was taught to play the game. My dad taught me to play that way, always aggressive,” Williams said of his play style. “This is an opportunity for me, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, I just can’t let it slip away, so I’ve got to do everything I can to stay.
“I can’t get too caught up on the narrative of like, it’s being hard for small school guys to make it, or we can’t compete with Power Five or anything like. I can’t get too caught up in that. I just at the end of the day, just have got to believe in my own ability and that I belong here.”
To his credit, Williams has played well in an unexpected role. He’s recorded 17 tackles (14 solo), one pass defensed and posted a 76.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Perhaps most importantly of all, he hasn’t missed a single tackle.
“When that opportunity came, I treated every week like I was going to play, so I was prepared myself for that moment,” Williams said.
With only two games remaining this season, Williams doesn’t have many more opportunities to put productive play on film. However, you can guarantee he’ll go out there this Sunday and next and give the Giants everything he’s got left in the tank.
“Everybody in the building has got a lot of pride. We’re all pros in the sense to where we want to win. Nobody’s throwing in the towel,” Williams said. “Yeah, we might have been eliminated from the postseason, but nobody is throwing in the towel. We’ve still got two games left that we’re trying to win — especially with this one coming up.”
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