Dave Gettleman made many mistakes during his time as New York Giants general manager, but his trade for defensive lineman Leonard Williams wasn’t one of them.
Joe Schoen, Gettleman’s GM replacement, recently went as far as to say Williams is one of the team’s foundational pieces. That was likely spurred on by The Big Cat’s dominance in training camp this summer.
Williams was also just recently recognized by his peers, again. He was voted in at No. 97 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2022 list.
Although he suffered a late-season triceps injury, Williams didn’t miss a game in ’21, racking up 81 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 14 QB hits. The injury, though, may have contributed to his down year from ’20, when the former USC star recorded 11.5 sacks and 30 QB hits. A cornerstone of the Giants defense, the 28-year-old still has two seasons remaining on his blockbuster $63 million deal signed last March.
“He silently molded himself into a well-rounded player,” New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “His ability to flex in, flex out and just his ability to grow the last couple years has been pretty great.”
Although Williams did drop 13 spots from a year ago, he is more than deserving of back-to-back appearances on the NFL’s top 100.
