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Philadelphia Eagles Send A Message By Releasing Cary Williams

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It’s very difficult for me to not overemphasize my level of happiness over this move. I’m really going to do my best to keep myself in check. But the Philadelphia Eagles made a great, great decision to release cornerback Cary Williams today. The Eagles give themselves another $6.5 million in cap room with the move and rid themselves of an annoying headache.

I love this move for a few reasons, chief among them is the fact that Williams could never just keep his mouth shut and focus on his play. In the interest of full disclosure, I liked the move when Williams was brought to Philly. Coming from a tough-minded squad with the Baltimore Ravens, I thought Williams was going to bring that strong, enforcer-type presence to the secondary that’s been missing since Brian Dawkins left town. I thought he was going to lead by example and be a leader on this defense.

Instead, Williams spent most of his energy away from his play on the field. Eagles fans are well aware of the fiasco with him skipping voluntary workouts to buy sconces, his open criticism of Chip Kelly’s practices and his uncanny knack for getting a defensive penalty at just the wrong time. All of that might have even been palatable if his play on the field backed it up, but it never did. Williams was an average corner in Baltimore, and he wasn’t expected to be any more than that when he was brought to Philly. Average play would have been just fine if he was being a leader out there, but he wasn’t. He just had his flashes, then slowly disintegrated into a piece of toast that got burnt over and over again.

What the Eagles wound up getting was a fiery guy with average talent, directing his fire more at his team than at his opponents. That was always especially mind-boggling when it was clear Kelly valued team culture as a high priority. You’d think Williams would have known better to be so open and flagrant with his criticisms.

This move doesn’t come without some risk; the Eagles now need three new starters in the secondary, or at the very least they need a ton of secondary depth if they’re going to promote from within. But in the grand scheme of things, Williams’ production can be replaced in free agency for less money.

Ultimately, Williams just never got it. He never bought in. He never made himself worth the headache he brought with him. That’s why he got the boot today, and that’s why I doubt anyone in Philadelphia is going to miss him.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL

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