Bengals Rookie S Shawn Williams In Contention For A Starting Job?

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports that rookie third-round pick S Shawn Williams is in contention to start opposite of S Reggie Nelson.

“He’s a really smart guy; he picks up things really quickly,” assistant secondary coach Adam Zimmer said. “As he gets more confident, he’ll get more vocal. That will make him an even better player. He really has good instincts for a safety just out of college.”

So far in the offseason, Williams has impressed a great deal during OTAs with his grasp of the playbook and his aggressive playing style which seems ideal in defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defensive system.

Williams will be competing against former second-round pick S Taylor Mays and George Iloka, a fifth round pick in 2012. While Williams may lack ball skills and coverage ability, he makes up for it with his solid run support inside the box which would compliment nicely with Nelson’s coverage skills.

This will be a situation to keep an eye on during training camp.