Report: Eagles hire nickel cornerbacks coach

We take a break from NFL free agency news to note that the Philadelphia Eagles have a new nickelbacks coach. The Birds are hiring former Chicago Bears defensive quality control coach Ronell Williams, according to a report from ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Williams has some ties to new Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Williams was a defensive analyst for a couple years at Temple, where Desai previously attended and coached at. The two did not overlap there but they likely have shared some contacts, which could have contributed to Williams getting a job in Chicago. Williams took over Desai’s old title when the latter was promoted to being safeties coach in 2019. The two worked in the Windy City together for three seasons before Desai ended up with the Seattle Seahawks last year.

Williams remained on the Bears’ coaching staff as the only holdover from the transition to the Matt Eberflus era. That seems like a good sign? Also could be worth noting that Williams was trusted to run drills at the 2022 NFL Combine, as pictured in the photo above this article.

This hire is a homecoming for Williams, who is a native of Chester, Pennsylvania and played linebacker at West Chester University.

It’s interesting but not shocking to see that the Eagles hired a coach specifically dedicated to the nickel cornerback position. They previously had a setup where the departed Dennard Wilson was the defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach while D.K. McDonald (currently still on staff) held the assistant defensive backs coach title. Might the Eagles promote McDonald to CB coach and hire a separate safeties coach?

We’ll see. For now, we know Williams is in the fold.