Christopher Joseph Williams (born August 26, 1985) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Vanderbilt and was drafted by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

14th overall in the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

. Williams also played for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

and the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

College career

After graduating from

Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Catholic High School is a private, Catholic college-preparatory day school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. It offers grades eight t ...

, Williams attended Vanderbilt where he played in 36 games and started 33 games. In 2007, he was First-team All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

after allowing just one sack in 12 games. As a junior, Williams was a Second-team All-SEC selection after starting all 12 games at left tackle and allowing a single quarterback sack. The prior season Williams played all twelve games, starting nine at left guard but also playing left tackle. Williams was redshirted as a true freshman and did not see action the following season either.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Williams was drafted by the Bears in the first round with the 14th overall pick in the

. On July 23, 2008, it was announced that he had signed a five-year contract with the Bears. Williams missed the camp's first weekend after sustaining a minor back injury. He was later diagnosed with separate injury, a herniated disc, which required minor surgery to repair. Williams started taking part in conditioning and work-out drills in September. On November 2, 2008, he made his professional debut on the special teams in a win against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. Williams was a starter in 2009, and played at right tackle to accommodate

Orlando Pace Orlando Lamar Pace (born November 4, 1975) is a former American football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football at Ohio State, where he twice receiv ...

, whom the team acquired via free agency on April 2, 2009. Smith eventually moved Williams back to left tackle after Pace was faced with inconsistent play and injuries. His first major test was to protect

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...

's blindside against the highly touted

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

defense. The following week, he was paired against

Jared Allen Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth ...

of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, one of the League's top defensive lineman and pass rushers. Williams' prevented Allen from sacking Cutler, as the Bears beat the Vikings, 36–30. Williams started the 2010 season as the Bears starting left tackle. However, he was injured early during the team's second game against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. Williams spent the next several weeks nursing a

hamstring injury Straining of the hamstring, also known as a pulled hamstring, is defined as an excessive stretch or tear of muscle fibers and related tissues. Hamstring injuries are common in athletes participating in many sports. Track and field athletes are ...

and missed three games. Upon recovering from his injury,

Mike Tice Michael Peter Tice (born February 2, 1959) is a former American football tight end and coach. He played college football at the University of Maryland, College Park and spent 11 seasons playing in the National Football League (NFL) before spendin ...

, the team's offensive line coach, decided to move Williams to the left

position. Williams was released by the Bears on October 16, 2012.

St. Louis Rams

Williams signed with the

on October 22, 2012. He re-signed with the team on April 1, 2013, for $2.75 million on a one-year contract.

Buffalo Bills

On March 12, 2014, Williams signed a four-year, $13.5 million contract with the

. The deal includes $5.5 million in guaranteed money.Chris Williams, Buffalo Bills strike four-year contract
/ref> His contract was terminated after a failed physical on July 28, 2015.

Personal life

Williams was invited to participate in a shoot-the-puck contest during the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

and

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

playoff on April 18, 2009. During the contest, he successfully shot two pucks into two small openings in a goal from center ice. Williams claims that he had never shot a puck prior to the contest. Williams is married and has two children, a daughter and a son.

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chris 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Vanderbilt Commodores football players Chicago Bears players St. Louis Rams players Buffalo Bills players Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni