Dolphins cornerback Trill Williams has torn ACL, expected to miss 2022 season
Trill Williams, a second-year cornerback who had been challenging for playing time with a strong training camp, tore his ACL in the preseason opener and was placed on injured reserve on Monday.
“It hurt the hearts of the whole team, myself included,” Coach Mike McDaniel said on Sunday when he announced the news of the injury.
Williams’ injury puts a strain on the Dolphins’ depth at corner. Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are the starters. Nik Needham is the third corner. Jones is rehabilitating a leg injury and the Dolphins hope to have him ready for the regular season.
The Dolphins started Keion Crossen and Noah Igbinoghene vs. the Bucs. Crossen has had his moments in camp, but Igbinoghene continues to struggle.
On Monday, Miami signed cornerback Mackensie Alexander and defensive tackle Niles Scott.
Alexander, out of Immokalee High School, is entering his seventh NFL season after spending five with Minnesota (2016-19, 2021) and one with Cincinnati (2020). He’s played in 84 career games with 25 starts, recording 197 tackles (144 solo), 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, 32 passes defensed and one fumble recovery.
Alexander originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick (54th overall) by Minnesota in the 2016 NFL Draft following a collegiate career at Clemson..
Williams, 22, was an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse whom the Dolphins were awarded in May 2021 after he was waived by New Orleans.
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Williams was inactive nearly the entire 2021 season, appearing only in the finale vs. New England, but was catching attention with improved play this summer.
Williams was carted off the field during Saturday night’s 26-24 victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa.
“You hate to see an injury like that for a guy who has been working as diligently as Trill has,” McDaniel said. “He was an example of a player who, early on, I could tell that — in a healthy way — he wasn’t totally happy where he was in terms of depth. You want to talk about a player handling it the right way, transferring that energy to the point that he's been making plays daily on the ball. And you can tell from his teammates how pumped they were for him. So, you know, it's one of the hard things about the profession that I really struggle with.”
Williams’ injury puts a strain on the Dolphins’ depth at corner. Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are the starters. Nik Needham is the third corner. Jones is rehabilitating a leg injury and the Dolphins hope to have him ready for the regular season.
The Dolphins started Keion Crossen and Noah Igbinoghene vs. the Bucs. Crossen has had his moments in camp, but Igbinoghene continues to struggle.
How is revamped offensive line looking?
With left tackle Terron Armstead and center Connor Williams held out vs. the Bucs, the Dolphins started an offensive line of (left to right) Larnel Coleman, Liam Eichenberg, Michael Deiter, Rob Hunt and Austin Jackson. Addressing the 13 snaps Eichenberg played with Jackson and Hunt, McDaniel said about 10 plays would have produced positive grades for the trio.
“It was awesome for those young dudes to get that feeling,” McDaniel said.
Overall, there’s still work to be done, especially with the run game. The Dolphins had 3 yards on five carries in the first half and finished with 14 attempts for 49 yards, a 3.5 average that is a bit flattering. Myles Gaskin accounted for 20 yards on one carry and Skylar Thompson scrambled for 21. One indicator of how unproductive Miami was on the ground for most of the night is without those two big gains, the Dolphins had 12 carries for 8 yards.
Noteworthy
McDaniel said backup QB Teddy Bridgewater had back tightness in practice, which was another reason to let Thompson play the entire game. Thompson’s 218 passing yards are second only to the 224 by Buffalo’s Matt Barkley in the NFL this preseason. … McDaniel took the blame for Tampa Bay’s 23-yard touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert to Jaelan Darden, saying the defense hadn’t taken enough reps in that situation. “It’s something that, if it happens again, I would be more critical on,” McDaniel said. … The first cuts of the preseason are due by 4 p.m. Tuesday, when teams have a roster limit of 85.
Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Promising Dolphins CB Trill Williams expected to miss 2022 season
