On September 10, 2023, at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, an NFL game was played. Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams (right) blocks Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith.(AP Image by Kirk Irwin)
The Bengals hadn’t made the playoffs in three years and hadn’t triumphed in a postseason match since the 1990 campaign when Cincinnati signed Zac Taylor as its head coach in 2019.
Jonah Williams, an offensive tackle from Alabama, was taken by Cincinnati at No. 11 in 2019 with the first overall pick of the Taylor administration.
In 2020, the Bengals won four games, and in 2019 they won two. However, Cincinnati advanced to the Super Bowl in 2021, and the Bengals returned to the AFC Championship Game the following year in 2022.
Williams remarked, “I was just talking about this with coach Taylor.” His first draft choice was me. His confidence in me as one of the persons he wants to start building his program around means a lot to me. We went 2–14 our first year, and it was difficult. Having the first pick in the draft, Joey (Burrow) was selected, and two years later, they attended the Super Bowl and the AFC Championship.
“We didn’t plan on this year being what it is. However, taking part in that has been a lot of joy. I simply owe him and the folks who introduced me so much gratitude.
Following a 31-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns, which left the Bengals at 9-8 and one game shy of the postseason, Cincinnati’s season came to an end on January 7.
Williams’ final game with Cincinnati might be that one. Williams’ four-year, $17.63 million rookie contract is now complete. He also fulfilled the Bengals’ option for a fifth year, which allowed him to play for $12.604 million in 2023.
Williams will become an unrestricted free agency on March 13 if Cincinnati doesn’t re-sign him.
Williams remarked, “Over the last five years, I gave my all.” As I previously stated, I have no idea what the future holds, but I’m grateful for the chance and proud of what we’ve accomplished here.
“I’m a guy with very small vision. I dislike considering the broad picture. That has much too many moving parts. I like to simplify things to the point where I can do them on a daily basis. And this year, all I could do was turn up and play right tackle at a very good level. And that’s what I committed myself to, and I believe I accomplished it well enough, so perhaps that adds to my value in some way, even though that wasn’t my original goal. All I wanted to do was keep improving as a right tackle every day, whether it was today or yesterday, and do it for the entire season.
Williams was a left tackle for Cincinnati until 2023. Orlando Brown Jr., a four-time Pro Bowler, was signed by the Bengals in the offseason and assigned to left tackle. Williams moved to tackle the right side.
For the past five years, Jonah has given his all on the field, and as coaches, we are incredibly proud of the work he’s done transitioning from left tackle to right tackle, according to Taylor. Thus, once more, I believe he has done a great job for us and served himself well. I’m interested to see what the future brings. Once more, it’s unclear because several of those players have contracts that are about to expire. We will be having such discussions for the next fifteen days. I conveyed the information to him.
This was not my first draft choice when I came here. It’s the draft choice of our company. If you look at the first three picks, Jonah, Drew (Sample), and Germaine (Pratt), you’ll see a set of individuals who were, in a sense, on a second deal. It seems positive to me. They perfectly embodied the character we were going for, and those guys have been crucial to our success in the past few years.
Williams has shown he can play both tackle spots, but the Bengals may find it more difficult to re-sign him based on his success at right tackle, according to Duke Tobin, Cincinnati’s director of player personnel.
“It was striking,” Tobin remarked. “He demonstrated his versatility, which will work well with him in the long run.”
Wide receiver Tee Higgins of the Bengals is headed toward free agency if he is not re-signed in the next five weeks, while wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase of the team is about to enter the final season of his deal.
“We enjoy Ja’Marr,” Tobin remarked. “He’s part of our long-term goals. He is one of the best players in this league. And those are the players we want to remain on our squad. I desire Tee Higgins’ return. We’d all like to see Tee Higgins return.
“There’s a pie, and because of it, there are things we can and cannot do. We’ll see.
