"Milton Williams has been worth the price that the Patriots paid this offseason to lure the former Eagles standout lineman to New England - with the 26-year-old Williams helping turn Mike Vrabel's defense into one of the stingiest in the league against the run. A young defensive lineman capable of both generating pressure up the middle and clogging up running lanes was one of the priorities for the Patriots last offseason as Eliot Wolf and Co. tried to shore up multiple holes across the depth chart."
""Mike Vrabel uses this word a lot: Pivot," Breer said. "The Patriots' pivot in this case was not to [Chris] Godwin or to [Stefon] Diggs, it was actually to Milton Williams. And with the money that they freed up - that they would have perhaps given to Tee Higgins - they went the extra mile to go get Milton Williams.""
"The Patriots were linked to Higgins well before this past offseason, especially with the writing potentially being on the wall that Cincinnati wasn't going to be able to afford hefty new contracts for both Higgins and their top wideout, Ja'Marr Chase. But, for the second year in a row, the Bengals decided to place a franchise tag on Higgins in March before ultimately signing him to a four-year, $115 million contract extension."
The Patriots awarded Milton Williams the largest contract in franchise history and he has bolstered New England's run defense. Williams provides interior pressure and effectively clogs running lanes, addressing a key defensive need. The team shifted available cap space from a potential pursuit of Tee Higgins to secure Williams. Cincinnati ultimately franchise-tagged and later extended Higgins to a four-year, $115 million deal, removing him from New England's options. Williams had been close to signing with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Patriots, and his presence has helped tighten the Patriots' run-stopping performance.
Read at Boston.com
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