Something about new Seahawks OL signing impresses Bump

Aug 6, 2024, 4:33 PM | Updated: 5:27 pm

Connor Williams during a 2023 game with the Miami Dolphins. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

(Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

Veteran offensive lineman Connor Williams was rumored as a potential Seattle Seahawks signing to the point that by Tuesday, it seemed more like when than if.

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Drew Rosenhaus, who is Williams’ agent, said Monday on The Joe Rose Show on Miami’s 560 Sports WQAM that they were finalizing a deal with the Seahawks, and that he expected the two sides to have an agreement within two or three days. The news came through early Tuesday evening, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting a one-year, $6 million deal to bring Williams to Seattle.

The 27-year-old Williams worked out for the Seahawks on July 22, and he has played 83 games over six seasons in the NFL since debuting in 2018 with Dallas. A second-round pick by the Cowboys out of Texas, he spent the past two years with Miami. The 6-foot-5, 312-pounder has played both left guard and center as a pro.

There’s something about Williams that stands out to Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus, a former Seahawks wide receiver, that has nothing to do with his experience or skill set, though.

“The fact that this man had an ACL injury Dec. 11 and his agent is saying he is ready to go Week 1 is crazy,” Bumpus said on Tuesday’s edition of Bump and Stacy, hours before the report of Williams signing.

That’s right – Williams tore an ACL merely nine months ago and is seemingly ready to play when the NFL season kicks off next month. It’s reminiscent of former Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who tore an ACL on Jan. 1, 2023 and was healthy in time for the start of the next season eight months later.

“I think we’ve seen technology in the body just advance. People understand the body a lot more now than it than they did 10-15 years ago,” Bumpus said. “… The more I look at these ACL injuries, the more fascinated I am. My dad has a scar from like mid-thigh to mid-shin when he blew out his ACL in the early 90s or something like that, and it took him a while to get back and he still walks with a limp. These guys are getting injured and within nine months they’re back on the football field and trying to play.”

The fact that Williams at his size could be ready to go Week 1 says something about him, according to Bumpus.

“That tells me that he has a lot of discipline. That means he exercised when he was supposed to, means he ate the right things. He was diligent every single day. He stuck to the plan. So that shows a lot of discipline. That type of discipline shows up everywhere in your life. It’ll show up on the football field … If the Seahawks did not think that he was gonna be available Week 1, I don’t think they make this signing. So that means he came out here and he worked out and he performed great.”

Hear the full discussion from Bump and Stacy in the Four-Down Territory segment of the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Bump and Stacy live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.