Report: Lions signing Bears DL Nick Williams

The Detroit Lions are burning the midnight oil and they’re finally starting to work on the defensive line. According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, the Lions are signing former Bears defensive tackle Nick Williams. Per Caplan, the deal with worth $10 million over two years.

Williams, a former seventh-round pick from the Steelers, has spent the past two years with the Bears, playing all 16 games with Chicago last season and starting five. He tallied six sacks for Chicago in 2019 after failing to record a single sack over the previous six seasons.

Last year, Williams was a feel-good story. Having barely played at all on defense since entering the league in 2013 (337 snaps), he had a huge breakout year. Not only did he play 532 snaps, but he was second on the team in sacks (6) and first among Bears defensive linemen in tackles (42).

At 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Williams could immediately contend for a rotational role as a one or three-tech defensive tackle that brings both some run defense and pass rush to the front lines. Last year, PFF gave him nearly even grades in run defense (67.8) and pass rush (62.6).

Detroit is in need of all kinds of defensive tackles. With Damon Harrison Sr. already gone, and both A’Shawn Robinson and Mike Daniels facing free agency, Detroit simply needs bodies that can compete. And although Williams didn’t have much of a career before 2019, the 30-year-old defensive tackle found his niche last year.

And don’t worry, according to Caplan, the Lions are just getting started: