Cardinals' new OT Jonah Williams ready to 'bookend' to Paris Johnson Jr.

Lots of folks love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It was nothing but a bummer last year for Jonah Williams, the Cardinals’ new offensive tackle.

It was a year ago Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams’ team at the time, announced they had signed tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year, $64 million contract. It was done with the full intention of making Brown the starting left tackle. And it was news to Williams.

Left tackle was the position Williams had started at for the previous three seasons since the Bengals made him a first-round pick out of Alabama, where he was a unanimous All-American. It wasn’t until later that it was communicated to him that the team planned to move Williams to right tackle.

The way it unfolded didn’t sit well with him, so he requested a trade.

It never materialized.

Maybe it’s a good thing it didn’t. Despite recovering from surgery that offseason to repair a dislocated kneecap, and a baby girl on the way, Williams did his best to embrace the change and his new situation. He couldn’t participate in any offseason drills, he said, but would “get in my stance and sit there and just try to feel it.”

“At the end of the day, it’s just football. It’s just O-line,” he said, adding that by the second week of training camp, “It felt as good as left tackle ever did.”

And it showed, too. According to Next Gen Stats Williams, in his first year at right tackle since his freshman year at Alabama, set career-best marks last season in pressure rate (8.0 percent), 1-on-1 pressure rate (7.8 percent), sack rate (1.2 percent) and average time to pressure (2.99 seconds).

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Right tackle is likely where he’ll plug-and-play for the Cardinals after they signed him to a two-year, $30 million deal last week as an unrestricted free agent. Arizona released longtime left tackle D.J. Humphries and it’s expected that Paris Johnson Jr., who started all 17 games and never missed a snap at right tackle as a rookie, will take over Humphries’ former spot at left tackle.

Nothing is official until coach Jonathan Gannon makes the call, but for the record, Williams, 26, doesn’t really care on which side of the line he plays.

“Honestly, it’s not so much about that,” the 6-foot-5, 3-05-pound native of Atlanta said. “It’s more like I know that I’m bringing great tackle play and that’s what I’m going to do. Wherever the coaches want to put me, that’s what I’m going to do. … I’ve played significant snaps at both positions, and I think I can positively contribute to the team either way.”

Williams said he’s already briefly met with Johnson, the Cardinals’ first-round pick last year from Ohio State, and so far he likes what he sees.

“I’ve heard only positive things about him, how mature he is and obviously just seeing him in the draft, a phenomenal athlete,” he said. “I watched his tape last year and he’s a great player. I’m excited to bookend on the line with him.”

The thought of playing for Arizona crossed Williams’ mind last season when the Bengals met the Cardinals in a Week 5 matchup at State Farm Stadium. Cincinnati won 34-20 and Williams remembers “the stadium is great, and the fans were loud.”

“I kind of took some notes in my head and was like, ‘If the opportunity ever arises, I’d love to be out here.’ ” he said.

Williams acknowledged he had mutual interests from other NFL teams when the free agency process began last week. Once his agent informed him the Cardinals were interested in him, however, “I was like, they’re my No. 1, let’s get this done,” he said.

Why Arizona?

“It’s an exciting place as an organization,” William said, adding, “There’s a positive energy, sort of a positive atmosphere here, and I feel it’s a team on an upward trajectory. I was fortunate to be part of something like that in Cincinnati and it’s just a lot of fun.

“Not to mention the city and all the amenities. I live in San Diego in the offseason, so it’s a quick flight and I’ve really enjoyed my brief time here so far.”

Something else Williams said he finds positive about the move is the chance to block for and protect Kyler Murray, the Cardinals’ dual-threat quarterback. He said he began following Murray’s career since Murray was shattering high school records in Allen, Texas.

The two met each other soon after Williams signed his new contract at the team’s Tempe training facility. Murray was there continuing to strengthen his surgically repaired right knee some 15 months after suffering a torn ACL.

“I think it’s going to be exciting,” Williams said. “He’s an electric playmaker and there’s only so many guys like him in the NFL.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Cardinals OT Jonah Williams excited for fresh start in Arizona