Kendall Williamson has already beaten the odds once with the Chargers, and now he’s trying to do it again.
The safety, born Aug. 24, 2000, in Snellville, Georgia, came out of Brookwood as a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, before heading to Stanford. He carved out a long college run there, starting with 16 tackles as a cornerback in his first 10 games and then posting 47 tackles as a starter at the position in 2019.
Williamson’s move to safety in 2020, during the shortened COVID-19 season, changed the trajectory of his game. He looked comfortable right away, and in 2021 he delivered his first full season at the spot with 67 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack across 12 games. In his final year at Stanford, he added 50 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and his first career interception before entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
NFL Scout Lance Zierlein described Williamson as: "[he] offers good measurables and testing numbers, but he’s lacking in production and consistency. He plays with good route recognition when hovering in off-man coverage, but he might not have the range needed to handle expanded areas of responsibility. He’s willing in run support but overestimates his pursuit speed and misses tackles."
The Chicago Bears took him in the seventh round of that draft and kept him on the practice squad for the entire 2023 season. After being released, he landed with the Bills on a reserve contract, but he did not make Buffalo’s roster in 2024 and eventually found his way to the Chargers’ practice squad.
That’s where Williamson finally got his first live NFL action, appearing in two regular-season games. Then came the surprise: in 2025, he made the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster, getting the nod over a name like Tony Jefferson.
He made the most of it. Williamson became a key special teams player during the 2025 season and showed the staff he could be trusted to hold a roster spot. Now he’s back for 2026, hoping to stay there again.
The path won’t be easy. The Chargers added another safety when they drafted Genesis Smith in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which makes Williamson’s job tougher than it was a year ago. Still, he has already shown he can outlast expectations.
His RAS card backs up the athletic profile: Williamson scored an 8.60 out of 10.00, ranking 127th among 903 safeties from 1987 to 2023. His Mockdraftable page is unavailable.
Williamson also signed a one-year, $1,075,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. In 2026, that means a base salary of $1,075,000 and a cap hit of $1,075,000.
Even if he doesn’t crack the final 53-man roster, Williamson should still have a path to contribute in some form. His value as both a defender and a special teams piece gives him a real chance to remain part of the Chargers’ plans.
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