Last summer, the Patriots hosted the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for joint practices in Foxborough.
During that training camp session, an Eagles defensive line that went on to dominate throughout the season took it to the Patriots offense. New England's offensive line couldn't keep Philly's pass-rushers out of the backfield, making life difficult on former quarterback Jacoby Brissett and then-rookie QB Drake Maye. It was a wake-up call for the Patriots offense at the time, but it also might've set the table for their biggest free-agent splash of the 2025 offseason.
Luckily, a key piece of the Eagles championship-caliber defensive front is now a New England Patriot. On Thursday, the Patriots introduced DT Milton Williams and three other additions from a growing free-agency haul. Williams, who was on the other side for those joint practices, was one of the best players available on the open market this offseason.
"I don't like to just gloat or nothing, but I was going crazy," Williams recalled in an interview with Patriots Unfiltered. "Once my agent told me that [the Patriots] were interested, I'm like, 'They probably got that tape [from the joint practice vs. the Patriots].'"
After setting the table in last summer's joint practice with the Patriots, Williams and the Eagles won their second championship by pressuring Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes on 40.5% of his drop-backs in Super Bowl LIX. Mahomes was sacked six times that Sunday night, with Williams registering two sacks and four total pressures in the win. Williams's signature moment came when he strip-sacked Mahomes. The Pats defender used his go-to pass-rush move in the play: speed-to-power.
"Speed to power," Williams answered when asked about his go-to pass rush move. "I feel like I'm fast with my size and explosive enough to generate that power. Just with my upper-body strength being able to get my hands inside trying to either collapse the pocket or pushing back far enough where I can disengage. That is my go-to."
Although his speed-to-power is his foundational rush, Williams can counter offensive linemen bracing for his power rush with other rush moves. For example, Williams used a swipe-rip move to pressure Commanders QB Jayden Daniels into a throwaway in last season's NFC Championship Game.
"Most of the time, guys struggle with sitting down to my power, so they're trying to [pass] set different, and then I get on the edge quicker because they're trying to stop me in my tracks earlier. If I catch your hand, it's over, because I'm [going to] run by you."
Along with a terrific 2024 postseason run, Williams posted the second-highest pressure rate among defensive tackles last season, per NextGen Stats. The 25-year-old tallied 40 total pressures and five sacks despite being in a heavy rotation due to tremendous depth along the Philly defensive line. As a Patriot, the hope is that Williams's role will expand beyond his career-high 47.9% snap rate a year ago to have an even bigger impact in New England.
"I know that you guys were extremely successful, but we want to play [Williams] a little bit more than that," Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said on Thursday. "There was a high ceiling and a great vision about the person, the effort, the skill set, the speed in which he plays. There's a power. So certainly there's an aggressiveness, and being able to add him to our defensive line was something that was really exciting."
Vrabel added that the Patriots head coach and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams have gotten the best out of similar players to Williams.
"We've been able to put some players, specifically Milton [Williams], put players like that in our history of coaching and good spots to be productive and make plays that can help the team win," Vrabel said.
To the Patriots head coach's point, the former pass-rushing linebacker and new defensive coordinator have a strong reputation for developing defensive linemen. As it pertains to Williams, the one name that comes to mind is Titans DT Jeffery Simmons. Simmons made two Pro Bowls as a game-wrecker along Tennessee's defensive line as a Vrabel draft pick. Stylistically, Williams fits into a similar role as Simmons in the Patriots reworked defensive front. Specifically, both D-Tackles tend to rush from a three-technique alignment, which means they line up over the outside shoulder of the offensive guard shaded into the B Gap.
"I've been a fan of Jeffery [Simmons]. I was at Louisiana Tech when he was at Mississippi State. They came down and he dominated us," Williams told Patriots.com. "He blocked a punt and picked it up and scored. Next series, he stripped the quarterback, picked it up, and scored. So, I'm like, this D-Tackle is just wrecking the game. Once he got to the NFL, I've just been watching tape on him and he's a great player. All the things I want to have in my game, he got."
"I like watching guys like [Simmons], Quinnen Williams, Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt. These guys have everything in their tool bag. I want to be able to do the same things," Williams continued.
As a roughly 290-pound defensive tackle, interior rushers in Williams's mold are en vogue. With the NFL morphing into a pass-heavy league, defenses are loading up on explosive defensive tackles who can pressure the quarterback and win with excellent quickness to slither around blocks. Although he's on the lighter side by NFL standards, Williams is an elite athlete who registered a 9.96 relative athletic score out of 10 at the 2021 scouting combine.
According to MockDraftable, the best comparison for Williams from a measurables standpoint is Donald, who had a similar build and elite athleticism at 6-foot-1, 285 pounds. Nobody is setting the expectation that he will be as impactful as a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, but Williams is fueled by those who doubted him as they did with Donald.
"Everybody was trying to say [Donald] was small. He had short arms and all this stuff. You put the tape on, you see none of that really matters. They said I had short arms, too. I feel like we thrive when people tell us you're too small, you can't do this, and they're bigger than you. The most important thing is what you got beating in your chest," Williams said.
Although it would make sense for the Patriots to put him in an attacking role, Williams shared some insight into his conversations with Vrabel and the coaching staff about how he'll be used in New England. In particular, Williams is hoping that an expanded role in the Pats defense will allow him to make more plays and help create opportunities for his teammates.
"They're going to use me in a lot of different spots, kind of like what I did last year, but obviously playing more. Get more opportunities to make more plays and affect the game, but not just me personally. Bringing on my teammates, sharing the information that I got from the vets that I had, anything that I see in the game, or any technique that I like to use," Williams said.
"I'm sharing information because, at the end of the day, we're gonna need each other, and that's how we're gonna win together. Ain't nobody gonna just go out there and win by yourself. You need everybody pulling their weight. Everybody wants to go make plays, but if we get to that mindset where we don't care who makes the play, I feel like we'll be successful," Williams explained.
This offseason, the first step for the Patriots was rebuilding a defense that ranked 30th in DVOA in 2024. Along with making one of the biggest splashes league-wide by signing Williams, New England also added edge rusher Harold Landry, linebacker Robert Spillane, and cornerback Carlton Davis on day one of free agency. The foursome will hopefully contribute to a bounce-back season for the defense, with Williams helping improve a pass rush that was 29th in pressure rate last season.
After seeing him up close in last summer's joint practice, the Patriots have a new cornerstone piece along the defensive line in Williams.
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