With veteran Lawrence Timmons taking his talents to South Florida, Vince Williams appears ready to take on a bigger role with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Hardly a big surprise, former Florida State University star Lawrence Timmons has opted for greener…uh, aqua pastures. After 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the experienced defender recently signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.
A first-round draft choice by the Steelers in 2007, he has been a stabilizing force for a up-an-down defensive unit. All told, Timmons' experience was a plus for a group that stressed youth this past year. By season's end, rookies Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave were in the starting lineup.
Hence, Mike Tomlin's team and coordinator Keith Butler's unit look to a four-year pro to step up on a full-time basis. Yes, inside linebacker Vince Williams has found himself in the starting lineup in previous seasons. But he's now the main man and will pair with Pro Bowler Ryan Shazier in 2017.
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Like Timmons, the 2013 sixth-round draft choice is also a former Seminole. No doubt, he certainly has some big cleats to fill. However, he has also been in the system long enough. Altogether, he's missed just one game in four seasons. As a rookie, he made 11 starts and totaled 53 tackles. This past season, Williams enjoyed his most complete campaign with 40 stops and a pair of sacks.
All told, Wiiliams' biggest game came in a 43-14 Sunday night win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reminds us that the four-year pro racked up 15 tackles and a sack in replacing Shazier. More importantly, he also called the defensive signals for Butler's unit that evening as well. Williams had this to say about the situation, per Cook:
"I knew Ryan was down," Williams said. "The guy is a tremendous talent and he loves football. I could just see it in his face, he was hurting that he couldn't come out and contribute. I was just trying to hold it down for him. I couldn't let him down."
Of course, being relied on to provide depth and owning the full-time job are different matters. However, a four-year product of the team makes the transition a lot easier for the 27-year-old defender. Subsequently, it would not be a surprise to see the Pittsburgh Steelers add a little more depth at the inside linebacker spot over the next few months. But at least for now, they appear to be in good hands with Williams flanking Shazier.
