P.J. Williams Injury: Updates on Saints CB's Hamstring and Recovery

New Orleans Saints cornerback P.J. Williams suffered the first major injury of his career before he even appeared in a regular-season game thanks to a torn hamstring.

Continue for updates.

---

Williams Out for Season

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Sean Payton confirmed Williams was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list, via Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.

The Saints finished 25th in the league against the pass in 2014, which is one reason they drafted Williams in the third round.   

Williams was seen as a value pick at the time of the draft after a second-team All-ACC season at Florida State. He was also the defensive MVP of the BCS National Championship Game following the 2013 campaign and brought the height (6'0") and speed (4.45 40-yard dash) combination necessary to play press coverage at the NFL level.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com noted earlier in the offseason that Williams was battling with Kyle Wilson for the nickel cornerback spot with veterans Keenan Lewis and Brandon Browner on the outside.

If the Saints do turn to Wilson, they at least know he brings a veteran presence to the secondary after five seasons with the New York Jets. He also isn’t that far removed from the end of the 2013 season, when Pro Football Focus ranked him fifth among slot corners in yards per coverage snap.    

However, rookie Damian Swann turned heads as a potential younger nickel corner option this preseason, as Gregory Gibson Jr. of SaintsRevolution.com pointed out:

Swann was a second-team All-SEC performer at Georgia in 2014 and also brings enough speed and physicality to challenge for significant playing time right away, especially with Williams’ setback. The fact the former Georgia Bulldog impressed in preseason as a possible contributor is a silver lining for Saints fans in the face of this injury.