Joejuan Williams is joining the New England Patriots coaching staff this summer through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. The move sends the former Vanderbilt cornerback back to the organization that drafted him in the 2019 NFL draft, this time in a developmental role instead of on the field.
From No. 56 to No. 45
The Patriots moved from No. 56 to No. 45 in the 2019 NFL draft to take Williams, then sent the Los Angeles Rams the 101st overall pick to complete the trade. He came out of Vanderbilt at 6-foot-3 after earning second-team All-SEC honors in 2018, when he had four interceptions and a conference-leading 18 passes defended.
That draft-day investment never turned into a steady starting job. Williams appeared in 36 regular-season games over three seasons for New England, made one start and recorded 38 tackles, with his most dependable work coming on special teams. He also played in two postseason games and added seven special teams tackles.
May and the coaching pivot
Williams retired in May, then moved quickly into coaching work rather than waiting years to make the switch. He began working with the Commodores before joining the Washington Commanders for a two-week Bill Walsh fellowship during minicamp, a short run that put him in a meeting room and on the defensive backs side of the field.
Williams said teaching defensive backs felt natural once he entered the meeting room, and he said he took extensive notes while learning how an NFL staff organized practices, meetings and situational instruction. He was assigned to the defensive backs during the Washington program, which makes the Patriots’ plan straightforward: when New England begins camp, he should be equipped to help the same position group.
Patriots camp fit
The fit is logical, even if the career path is not a standard one. Williams spent the 2022 season on injured reserve, then was allowed to leave in free agency after that season. He later spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints before finishing his playing career with 44 combined regular-season and playoff appearances and last appearing in a game in January 2024.
For New England, the fellowship move gives a former player a real on-ramp into coaching without pretending the transition is complete. For Williams, it keeps him inside the NFL while he applies what he learned as a player to the same secondary that once expected him to become more than a special-teams piece.
