For example, Williams is at his best as a run defender when he's working laterally down the line of scrimmage to overtake gaps against zone schemes. In this example, Washington is running a zone read where the backside guard wants to cut off Williams's ability to reach the front side. However, Williams's lateral quickness is too good, and he's there to plug the gap for a stuff.
As Titans head coach, Vrabel coached a similar player in Titans star Jeffery Simmons to two Pro Bowls as the game-wrecker in Tennessee's front. Simmons played roughly half his snaps as a three-technique defensive tackle, the same as Williams, and has a similar body type at 6-3, 300 pounds. From this perspective, it's relatively easy to project Williams into the Simmons role in Vrabel and Terrell Williams's scheme, which is likely why the Pats coveted him in free agency.
The Patriots have a new cornerstone defender on the interior of their defensive line, but that wasn't the only move they made on day one. After reviewing their film, here are reports on Davis, Moses, and Spillane.
OT Morgan Moses
Rather than continuing the defense theme, let's discuss the first major addition to the offense, which addressed a major need for the Patriots.
New England began fixing its offensive line by signing steady 34-year-old right tackle Morgan Moses. Moses has been incredibly consistent throughout his career as a power-centric blocker who has made at least 14 starts in 10 consecutive seasons. Along with being available and reliable, Moses is a high-floor blocker who doesn't have many "quick" losses on his tape. Although he was aided at times by former Jets QB Aaron Rodgers's snappy release, Moses only allowed two sacks and 16 total pressures on 467 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle.
According to O-Line guru Brandon Thorn, Moses was the third-best tackle on the free-agent market. Thorn placed the veteran in the "average starter" tier of his rankings. For an offensive line that was among the worst in the NFL in pass protection (31st in pass-blocking win rate) and run blocking (32nd in run-blocking win rate) in 2024, Moses is a plug-and-play starter and experienced leader on the right side.