73 Sylvester Williams DT

The Broncos signed Williams to the active roster Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Williams was cut last Friday and landed on the Broncos' practice squad, but following news that Purcell (foot) is out for the season, Williams was brought back to the active roster. McTelvin Agim is expected to start at nose tackle moving forward, but Williams should handle a decent workload with Purcell out of the picture.

The Broncos released Williams on Friday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

Williams signed with the Broncos' active roster last Saturday and played against the Patriots on Sunday, logging eight total snaps and no tackles. The 2013 first-round pick could return to the team's practice squad.

Williams was promoted to the Broncos' active roster Saturday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

Williams is being brought up to help provide depth on the defensive line. Starting nose tackle Mike Purcell (knee) is listed as questionable, so Williams could potentially get some run.

Williams signed a contract with the Chargers on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Williams spent training camp with the Saints after signing in May, but he didn't end up making the season-opening roster. The veteran defensive tackle provides some much-needed depth with Justin Jones (shoulder) and Brandon Mebane (knee) battling injuries.

Williams signed a contract with the Saints on Monday, according to the team's official site.

The 2013 first-round pick has failed to find consistency in the NFL, logging stints with the Broncos, Titans, Dolphins and Lions over the past six seasons. In 2018, he played in 14 games with four starts split between the Lions and Dolphins, logging 14 tackles (eight solo). He'll now compete for a depth role on the Saints' defensive line.

Williams signed a contract with the Dolphins on Wednesday, the team's official site reports.

In need of some defensive line help, the Dolphins added a pair of veteran bodies Wednesday in the form of Williams and Ziggy Hood. The duo should provide some depth for a defensive front that just lost the services of Vincent Taylor (foot) for the remainder of the season.

Williams was released by the Lions on Thursday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Williams joined the Lions in March and had been operating as a depth defensive tackle. He didn't see a single regular-season snap with Detroit through the first seven weeks of the year. The Lions traded for Damon Harrison this week, and Williams release created the necessary room for the addition of the latter. Williams will look to catch on with another team for the remainder of the season.

Williams signed a contract with the Lions on Wednesday.

The Lions needed help at defensive tackle after failing to re-sign veteran Haloti Ngata, who was a critical piece of the Detroit run defense the last three years. Williams should be in the mix to compete for the starting job Ngata left behind, as Akeem Spence would seem to represent his only current competition on the roster. There's certainly a chance the Lions add more talent at defensive tackle through the draft or free agency.

Williams was released by the Titans on Saturday, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

Signed to a three-year, $16.5 million contract last offseason, Williams made 11 starts in 15 games for the Titans, recording 20 tackles without a sack on 349 defensive snaps. The 2013 first-round pick has never lived up to his draft status, finishing with 29 or fewer tackles and three or fewer sacks in each of his five NFL seasons, despite playing at least 13 games each year. Williams will look to catch on elsewhere as a rotational lineman for early downs, while Austin Johnson could take on more snaps in Tennessee.

Williams was a limited participant at practice Tuesday due to the recent ankle surgery that he underwent, Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com reports

It doesn't appear that Williams will be hampered too much from the setback. The Titans expect him to be a full go in the coming days.

Williams is signing a three-year deal with the Titans, ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky reports.

A 2013 first-round selection, Williams never quite lived up to expectations in Denver, recording 94 tackles and six sacks in 60 regular-season games (48 starts). Those are underwhelming numbers even for a nose tackle, but Williams will at least provide the Titans with a sorely-needed big body in the middle of their defense. Tennessee was believed to be in the mix for standout nose tackle Brandon Williams, who ultimately re-signed with the Ravens.

The Broncos have decided not to exercise Williams' fifth-year option, the Denver Post reports.

The move isn't a total surprise given the cap gymnastics general manager John Elway will have to go through in the coming years to keep more prominent players in Denver. Williams contributed three sacks to the Broncos' 2015 pass rush as he put together his best season under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and line coach Bill Kollar. If he takes another step, Williams could still see a payday in 2017. If not, 2015 sixth-rounder Darius Kilgo and reclamation project Phil Taylor could emerge.

The starting nose tackle position is open for the Broncos. But Sylvester Williams has apparently taken the lead in that battle.

Williams knows the territory. He started 13 of 16 games a year ago. He finished with 17 tackles and four assists.

"It's exciting because going into the offseason for the first time I'm pretty much a sure starter," he told 9News. "My coaches have shown a lot of confidence in me and given me the opportunities that I need, so it's up to me to take advantage of those opportunities."

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips certainly isn't complaining.

"I think 'Sly' has done an exceptional job," he said. "I feel real good about him. ... I think he's really taken over the nose guard position."

Broncos third-year defensive lineman Sylvester Williams has much to prove heading into the 2015 season. He must show he can play nose tackle and that he can fill the void left by the departure of Terrance Knighton.

Williams has been working toward accomplishing those goals. He stayed in the area during the offseason to better his game and remain in peak shape. He has emphasized diet and shedding body fat as well as film study in an attempt to learn of areas in his game that require improvement.

"I already went into this offseason with a lot of motivation from within," he told the Denver Post. "I put a lot on myself to get stronger this year and come back with a better year."

Williams started 13 games last year and contributed to 21 tackles.

With free agency approaching for defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, Broncos general manager John Elway spoke highly of Sylvester Williams -- Knighton's possible replacement -- during Thursday's combine press conference, per the Denver Post.

"We still like Sylvester, we think there's still a lot of potential there, and we are not sure that he has scratched it yet. If there's any guy that can get it out of our players it's our new defensive line coach Bill Kollar," Elway said. "So Sylvester is going to get tested, and will get pushed. And I think it will be a good thing for Sylvester."

Williams, a first-round draft pick in 2013, registered 21 tackles (17 solo) last season for the Broncos. He had two sacks his rookie year.

Broncos defensive linemen Shaun Phillips and Sylvester Williams were the only players able to get the quarterback Thursday, in a 27-20 loss to the Chargers in Week 15. Phillips had two tackles to go along with his sack, while, Williams added five stops.

Williams' sack was the first of his career, while Phillips' was his 10th of the season. 

Broncos QB Zac Dysert, RB Ronnie Hillman, CB Champ Bailey, S Duke Ihenacho, C J.D. Walton, G Chris Kuper and DT Sylvester Williams are inactive Week 10 against the Chargers.

Both Bailey and Ihenacho appeared on the team's injury report. Bailey was ruled out Friday. Ihenacho was questionable with an ankle injury. 

The Broncos ruled the following players as inactive for Sunday's showdown at home against the Redskins: running back Ronnie Hillman, quarterback Zac Dysert, cornerback Champ Bailey, defensive back Tony Carter, guard John Moffitt, guard Chris Kuper and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams.

Several Broncos who were listed as probable on the injury report are active against the Colts. They include defensive end Robert Ayers (shoulder), tight end Joel Dreessen (knee), tight end Virgil Green (back), guard Chris Kuper (ankle), defensive end Shaun Phillips (hamstring) and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams (neck).

The unbeaten Broncos list 11 players on their Friday injury report, but must concern themselves only with douftful tackle Orlando Franklin (ankle) and questionable linebacker Wesley Woodyard (neck).

The other nine are probable. They are wide receivers Eric Decker (shoulder) and Wes Welker (ankle), tight ends Joel Dreessen (knee) and Virgil Green (back), defensive linemen Robert Ayers (shoulder), Shaun Phillips (hamstring) and Sylvester Williams (neck), cornerback Champ Bailey (foot) and guard Chris Kuper (ankle).