After losing his entire rookie season to an injury, New Orleans Saints cornerback P.J. Williams is projected to take on a significant role within the Saints’ secondary in 2016.

Williams, a former third-round pick out of Florida State, suffered a season-ending hamstring injury before the start of the regular season. With the loss of Williams, former CFL star Delvin Breaux and Brandon Browner took a majority of the first-team snaps.

Though Breaux seemed to shine under the limelight (PFF’s eighth-ranked cornerback in 2015), Browner did quite the opposite. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Browner graded out as the worst NFL cornerback among the 111 eligible in 2015.

The Saints allowed the second-most passing yards per game and a league-high 45 touchdowns in 2015, via NFL.com.

Though New Orleans will need several difference-makers on their defense before they emerge as a top passing defense in this league, head coach Sean Payton believes that Williams is capable of excelling in a starting role in the secondary.

“P.J. Williams is smart,” Payton said shortly after Day 2 of the 2015 NFL draft, via NewOrleansSaints.com. “He’s got really good football IQ. I see him being a guy that will be able to come in and compete with the rest of these guys on the outside. I do think that he is someone that should be able to play with these guys in the nickel defense, so we are hopeful he can come in and compete for that spot. He’s got a lot of good younger and veteran players ahead of him. I do think he learns very quickly, so that gives him a chance to play on the inside as well as the outside.”

At 6’0”, 194 pounds, Williams possesses an ideal combination of size and speed that will allow him to remain versatile as an inside or outside cornerback. Williams’ physical, aggressive demeanor pairs well with his ability to press receivers at the line of scrimmage and play the run....

Given his versatility, Williams could make an impact as a rotational player in nickel packages or even work his way up to the No. 2 corner spot opposite of Breaux in 2016. Though Williams won’t have his spot on the roster simply handed to him after missing the entire 2015 season, Payton isn’t necessarily in a position to overlook Williams’ skill set and overall potential given the Saints lack of talent at the position.

Look for Williams to start making headlines come training camp and the start of the preseason as one of New Orleans’ emerging corners this offseason.

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