Williams is expected to retire from the NFL according to his agent, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports.
Williams missed the entirety of 2023 due to an ankle injury and was unable to find a good fit for 2024 after receiving medical clearance to play again. The 33-year-old played eight seasons in the NFL, starting in Cleveland before a five-year stint with the 49ers before his final season, which was with the Broncos. Williams' career will come to a close with 105 games played, with 54 of them being starts, 345 combined tackles, and 34 passes defended, including five interceptions.
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K'Waun Williams: Has full medical clearance
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Williams (ankle), who remains a free agent, received full medical clearance in March, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.
Williams has reportedly drawn interest from five NFL teams, but he isn't expected to officially ink with a club until after April's draft. The veteran cornerback also reportedly isn't a candidate to re-sign with the Broncos, for whom he suited up for 14 regular-season games in 2022 before missing all of the 2023 campaign due to an ankle injury that required surgery.
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K'Waun Williams: Not expected to return to Denver
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Williams (ankle) is not expected to be re-signed by the Broncos, Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post reports.
Williams is set to become a free agent Wednesday, and it doesn't appear like he'll be back in Denver for a third season in 2024. The cornerback missed the entirety of the 2023 campaign as a result of a left ankle injury, and he'll now enter the open market. In his most recent active year in 2022, Williams recorded 44 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, while intercepting a pass and deflecting seven others over 14 games with Denver.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Headed to IR
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The Broncos placed Williams (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.
Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reported Monday that Williams was set to undergo a procedure for an ankle injury he sustained in early August. The estimated recovery time is eight weeks, so it's likely that Williams will miss more than the four games required for being placed on injured reserve. The nine-year veteran out of Pittsburgh registered 44 tackles (30 solo), one sack, seven pass deflections and an interception in 14 games for the Broncos last season.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Suffers injury setback
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Williams is expected to undergo treatment and rehab for an ankle injury sustained last week, and his goal is to be healthy in time for Denver's regular-season opener versus the Raiders on Sept. 10, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.
Williams has been sidelined since last week due to this injury, and he recently received a second medical opinion that pushed back his timeline for a return, per Klis. The 31-year-old nickelback played a fairly significant role when healthy for Denver last season, accumulating 44 tackles, seven passes defended and one interception over 14 games. While the exact nature of this ankle issue is unclear, it's likely that Williams and the team could air on the side of caution, as he's also seen as a candidate for an even bigger role in new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's blitz-heavy scheme.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: More blitzing opportunities ahead?
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Andrew Mason of Denver Sports believes that Williams could in for a big year under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
Williams posted 44 tackles, seven pass deflections, one interception and one sack in 14 games last season while starting in eight contests. Opposing quarterbacks posted a 69.3 rating while targeting Williams last year, which was a career best. He has 10 quarterback hits over the past four seasons, which Mason believes could translate into more opportunities in Joseph's blitz-friendly scheme. Williams provides meaningful depth to a Broncos secondary headlined by corners Patrick Surtain and Damarri Mathis and safeties Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Questionable for Christmas Day
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Williams (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at the Rams, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.
Williams did not practice Thursday as he dealt with a lingering knee injury, though he was able to play through the same issue in Week 15, so whether he'll be available for Week 16 seems to be close to a coin-flip proposition. If Williams can't go Sunday, Essang Bassey would probably be in line for an expanded role at corner.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: DNP on Thursday
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Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said that Williams (knee) will not participate in Thursday's practice, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.
Williams missed three games in a row while dealing with a knee injury before returning Week 14 against Kansas City. The 31-year-old then played 46 defensive snaps in back-to-back games, but it appears this knee issue has continued to affect him, as he was also limited during practice Wednesday. Williams will now have one more opportunity to increase his activity before Friday's final injury report, or else he could miss Denver's game against the Rams on Christmas Day.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Will play Sunday
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Williams (knee) has been ruled active ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.
While Williams was previously expected to remain out against Kansas City, he is now set to play for the first time since going down with a knee injury Week 10. The 31-year-old recorded 30 tackles, one sack and five passes defended, including an interception, while playing over half of Denver's defensive snaps across each of the first nine games. Williams' return will be a big boost as the Broncos attempt to slow down the Chiefs' prolific passing attack Sunday.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Will play Sunday
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Williams (hand) will play Sunday against the Texans, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.
Williams left Monday's matchup with the Seahawks early after suffering a hand injury. He's good to go though Sunday, and he'll help provide depth to the Broncos' secondary against Houston.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Hurts hand Monday
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Williams (hand) is questionable to return to Monday's game against Seattle, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.
Williams appears to have suffered a hand injury at some point during the Broncos' season-opening Monday night matchup. With the 31-year-old out, cornerback Darius Phillips should see increased usage in the team's secondary against the Seahawks.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: MRI shows little knee damage
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An MRI undergone Saturday revealed no structural damage in Williams' injured knee, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.
Williams suffered a minor non-contact injury during the Broncos' practice Saturday and he ultimately figures to miss only a few days, according to Klis. This is a good sign for the recently signed cornerback, who is expected to step into a starting role at slot cornerback after joining Denver on a two-year, $7 million contract this offseason.
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Broncos' K'Waun Williams: Set to undergo MRI
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Williams will get an MRI on his knee, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.
Williams pulled up while running in coverage with an apparent non-contact injury during Saturday's practice. The cornerback was then evaluated by members of the Broncos' training staff, but he was able to walk to the locker room under his own power later on. If Williams is forced to miss time during training camp due to a potential injury, then backups Damarri Mathis and Blessuan Austin should see more reps in coverage as a result.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Enters COVID protocols
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Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday as a result of testing positive for the virus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Williams has played a large role in the 49ers' secondary, so any potential absence in Week 18 against the Rams would be a blow to the defense. He still has plenty of time to clear protocols; however, if he were to miss, Deommodore Lenoir would likely be looking at extra opportunity Sunday.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Won't play Week 4
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Williams (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Seahawks, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Josh Norman (chest) is also doubtful for Sunday, so the 49ers will need all hands on deck. Deommodore Lenoir and Emmanuel Moseley played the majority of snaps at the outside corner positions during Week 3, but Dre Kirkpatrick -- a healthy scratch against the Packers -- could play a role in Week 4. Buster Skrine and Dontae Johnson will also likely be worked in at nickel corner in Williams' absence.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Faces two-game ban
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Williams was issued a two-game suspension Tuesday for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Williams will be eligible to return to the 49ers' active roster Dec. 8, meaning he'll be back for the Week 13 game against Buffalo. There was a decent chance that Williams would've missed the next two games anyway, as he's rehabbing from a high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 9. Emmanuel Moseley, Jason Verrett and Jamar Taylor will continue starting at cornerback until Williams and Richard Sherman (calf) return.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Practice window opens
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Williams (knee) was cleared to return to practice Wednesday, opening a 21-day window for him to be activated off IR, Cam Inman of The Mercury News reports.
Williams will be eligible to play as soon as he's removed from IR, which could be as soon as Sunday in Seattle if he impresses in practice this week. The cornerback last suited up in Week 4, and Williams has been recovering from a sprained ACL since.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: May get back Week 8
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Williams (knee-ACL) is hopeful he will be able to play in San Francisco's upcoming matchup against the Seahawks, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The 29-year-old has been inactive since Week 4, but the 49ers are eager to get Williams back for Sunday because of a looming matchup against MVP frontrunner Russell Wilson. San Francisco has returned Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley from injury in recent weeks, and getting Williams reactivated would be yet another defensive advantage as the 49ers search for a third straight win.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Dealing with sprained ACL
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Williams was diagnosed with an ACL sprain Tuesday and is expected to be placed on IR, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.
Williams won't require surgery and could even return after just three weeks on IR if his rehab goes as planned. It's encouraging that he avoided a severe injury, but the 49ers can't afford to lose secondary depth. Jason Verrett and Ken Webster are the only two cornerbacks who finished Sunday's loss to the Eagles healthy, although Richard Sherman (hamstring) could return from IR in Week 5 against Miami.
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49ers' K'Waun Williams: Hurts knee against Philly
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Williams (knee) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Eagles.
Williams battled a hip injury in the lead-up to this game, but it's unclear if the two injuries are linked. His absence is a major hit to a 49ers cornerback corps that's already without Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring), Richard Sherman (calf) and Emmanuel Moseley (concussion).
