Arizona Cardinals rookie safety Wydett Williams Jr. has landed in one of the stranger roster situations of the preseason, with a court ruling now giving him a shot at another year of college football.
Williams was among 16 former college players included in a lawsuit that resulted in a temporary restraining order, opening the door for them to pursue another NCAA season. The NCAA can still appeal the ruling.
That wrinkle comes after the Division I board of directors adjusted eligibility rules to permit five seasons in five years, but did not extend that change to recent seniors - a group that includes Williams.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur didn’t pretend this was normal.
“I just know he's done a good job for us so far. This is going to be wild, how all this plays out,” said LaFleur.
Williams has already gotten plenty of work in Arizona’s first two preseason games. He played 61 defensive snaps and 16 special teams snaps in the Hall of Fame game against the Carolina Panthers, then followed that with 29 defensive snaps and 12 special teams snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders. Across those two games, he has nine tackles.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back started his college journey at Delta State before moving to Louisiana-Monroe in 2024 and Ole Miss in 2025. He went undrafted this spring, then signed a three-year deal with the Cardinals that includes $110,000 in guaranteed money.
For now, Williams is not projected to crack Arizona’s 53-man roster and may end up on the practice squad. Safety is already crowded with Budda Baker, Andrew Wingard, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Kitan Crawford on the depth chart.
NFL teams must trim rosters from 90 players to 53 by Sunday, Aug. 30.
If Williams doesn’t land on an NFL roster or practice squad, a return to college remains on the table. In that case, he would likely transfer again and could try to reshape his path toward the 2027 NFL Draft.
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