Report: Former Patriots second-round pick Joejuan Williams signs with Vikings

The writing was already on the wall, but now it is official: former second-round draft pick Joejuan Williams will not be back with the New England Patriots in 2023.

The 25-year-old will instead join the Minnesota Vikings as an unrestricted free agent, as was first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates. Details of the deal are not available yet.

Williams originally entered the NFL in the 2019 draft, when New England traded up 11 positions to No. 45 overall. It is not hard to see why: the Vanderbilt product offered plenty of potential, combining size with impressive agility.

However, Williams has failed to meet expectations at the next level and has mostly disappointed as a role player within the Patriots’ secondary. All in all, he saw action in just 38 out of a possible 68 regular season and playoff games through his four seasons in New England.

While he did have some positive moments both on defense and special teams, earning regular playing time proved to be a problem for him; the same is true for making consistent contributions to the team. Williams is now leaving the Patriots without registering a takeaway while allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 113.4 rating when targeting him in coverage.

Based on his last four seasons, Williams was not expected back. He now becomes the fourth member of the 2022 Patriots to leave the team in free agency, joining wide receivers Jakobi Meyers (Las Vegas Raiders) and Nelson Agholor (Baltimore Ravens), and running back Damien Harris (Buffalo Bills).