When the Jacksonville Jaguars open training camp in nine days, most of the attention will land on the obvious names. But the rookie with the best chance to really catch people off guard might be sixth-round wide receiver C.J. Williams.
That sounds a little strange at first, considering how crowded the Jaguars’ receiver room already is. Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Travis Hunter sit at the top of the depth chart, and Jacksonville didn’t need long to wait before adding to that group in the draft. The Jaguars eventually doubled up at the position with Williams and fellow sixth-round pick Josh Cameron.
Cameron has the cleaner early path because of what he can bring on special teams. Williams, by contrast, looks buried when it comes to rookie-year snaps.
That’s exactly why his offseason showing stood out. He kept making plays, kept stacking good days, and did it in a room where there isn’t much room for error.
What makes Williams interesting is the way he has already earned trust. He’s a big, physical target who has shown he can win one-on-one matchups and create separation on the practice field. More importantly, he became the preferred target for the Jaguars’ backup quarterbacks during the spring.
That kind of chemistry matters in camp. Once quarterbacks start leaning on a receiver, the ball tends to find him again and again.
“CJ Williams is just, I think he leads the team in receptions right now. Now he's getting a lot of reps mixing in with a couple different groups, but you talk about what's the job for a receiver is to get open and catch the ball and he just kind of does that.
It's not necessarily flashy or some big splash move or play. I think the quarterbacks trust him.
He's smart, knows his job,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said about Williams during the offseason program.
For now, Williams still looks like a long shot to see much action once Week 1 arrives, assuming the Jaguars stay healthy at receiver. But that doesn’t make training camp any less important for him. In fact, it makes camp and the preseason his best shot to carve out a real impression.
If Williams keeps building on what he showed this spring, he could turn into a useful piece for a receiver group that already looks strong. And if the Jaguars can develop both Williams and Camerone over the next few years, they’ll give themselves real flexibility at the position. For Williams, next week is the chance to prove that the early buzz was only the beginning.
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