DeShawn Shamaine Williams (born December 29, 1992) is an

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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 Clemson.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Williams signed with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2015. He was released by the Bengals on September 5, 2015, during final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bengals on January 6, 2016. He was released by the Bengals on November 26, 2016, but was re-signed two days later. On September 2, 2017, Williams was waived by the Bengals and was signed to the practice squad the next day.

Denver Broncos

On January 17, 2018, Williams signed a reserve/future contract with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 11, 2018.

Miami Dolphins

On October 16, 2018, Williams was signed to the

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

practice squad. On December 5, 2018, Williams was released from the Dolphins practice squad.

Indianapolis Colts

On December 10, 2018, Williams was signed to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 13, 2019. He was waived on April 30, 2019.

Denver Broncos (second stint)

On May 13, 2019, Williams was signed by the Denver Broncos. He was released on August 31, 2019.

Calgary Stampeders

Williams signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

on December 5, 2019. He was released on August 11, 2020.

Denver Broncos (third stint)

On August 15, 2020, Williams re-signed with the Broncos, his third stint with the team. He was waived on September 5, 2020, but was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 25, 2020. In Week 6 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Williams recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NFL ...

during the 18–12 win. In Week 11 against the

, Williams recorded his first two career sacks on

Tua Tagovailoa Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa ( ; born March 2, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Fo ...

during the 20–13 win. Williams entered the 2021 season as a backup interior defensive lineman. He was named a starter in Week 8 and started the remainder of the season. He suffered an elbow injury in Week 16 and was placed on injured reserve on December 28. He finished the season with 39 tackles, one sack, and two passes defensed through 15 games and eight starts. On March 18, 2022, Williams re-signed with the Broncos.

Carolina Panthers

On March 15, 2023, Williams signed a one-year contract with the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, DeShawn 1992 births Living people Players of American football from South Carolina People from Central, South Carolina American football defensive tackles Calgary Stampeders players Clemson Tigers football players Cincinnati Bengals players Denver Broncos players Miami Dolphins players Indianapolis Colts players Carolina Panthers players