Sylvester Williams Jr. (born November 21, 1988) 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 ...

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 ...

. He was drafted by the Broncos in the first round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. 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 ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, where he earned All-American honors.

Early years

Williams was born in

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

, into a family with three older sisters and one younger brother. He attended

Jefferson City High School Jefferson City High School (JCHS) is a public secondary school in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is one of the five public high schools in Cole County and is one of two in Jefferson City. History The Jefferson City Public School District was esta ...

, and played football for only one season in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, and started only one game. Not being recruited by college programs, he assembled radiator parts for large combines before deciding to walk-on at

Coffeyville Community College Coffeyville Community College (CCC) is a community college located in Coffeyville, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1923. Coffeyville Community College is a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and the National Ju ...

. He had 52 tackles and two sacks in 2010.

College career

Williams transferred to the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 2011, and played for the

North Carolina Tar Heels football The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the sport of American football or Gridiron Football. The Tar Heels play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate ...

team in 2011 and 2012. As a junior in 2011, he had 43 tackles and 2.5 sacks."Sylvester Williams Biography"
. goheels.com. Retrieved February 14, 2013. The following season, Williams was named to the All-

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

first team. He was also named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n by ''

Pro Football Weekly ''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinoi ...

''.

Professional career

Coming out of North Carolina, Williams was a projected first round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts. He attended the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. On March 26, 2013, Williams participated at North Carolina's pro day, along with

Jonathan Cooper Jonathan Javell Cooper (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina, where he earned All-American ho ...

, Giovani Bernard,

Brennan Williams Brennan Marcel Williams (born February 5, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name ma.çé. Prior to beginning h ...

Travis Bond Travis Bond (born December 10, 1990) is a former Gridiron football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers, St. Lo ...

Kevin Reddick Kevin Reddick (born December 28, 1989) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at North Carolina. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2013. High school Redd ...

, and nine other teammates, and opted to only perform positional drills for scouts and team representatives in attendance. Williams was ranked the fourth best defensive tackle prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' (behind

Sharrif Floyd Sharrif Kalil Floyd (born May 28, 1991) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Florida, where he was recognized as an All-American in 2012. Floyd was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in ...

Sheldon Richardson Sheldon Adam Richardson (born November 29, 1990) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Richardson has ...

, and Star Lotulelei).

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos selected Williams in the first round (28th overall pick) of the

. He recorded his first career sack on December 12, 2013 in a loss to the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. He had another sack the following week against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

. On December 29,

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Terrelle Pryor Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver and quarterback. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarde ...

bobbled a snap and Williams recovered it. As a rookie in 2013, Williams played 13 games with 22 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery. The Broncos finished the season with a 13-3 record, clinching an

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...

and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but lost to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

by a score of 43-8 in

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

. In the 2014 season, Williams played all 16 games, started 13 of them, making 22 tackles and a pass defended. The Broncos finished with a 12-4 record, clinching the 2nd seed and another AFC West pennant, but were defeated 24-13 by 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 ...

in the AFC Divisional Round. In the 2015 season, Williams started 15 games with 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Broncos finished the season with a 12-4 record, clinching another AFC West pennant. The Broncos defense was ranked #1 in the NFL in the 2015 year. On February 7, 2016, Williams was part of the Broncos team that won

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

. In the game, the Broncos defeated 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 ...

by a score of 24–10. In the Super Bowl, Williams recorded two tackles and defended a pass. The Broncos won the game by a score of 24–10, giving Williams his first career championship title after defeating the

. It was also the first time in 17 years and third time in franchise history the Broncos won the Super Bowl.

Tennessee Titans

On March 10, 2017, Williams signed a three-year contract with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. On March 17, 2018, Williams was released by the Titans.

Detroit Lions

On March 21, 2018, Williams signed a one-year contract with 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 ...

. He played in six games with four starts before being released on October 25, 2018.

Miami Dolphins

On October 31, 2018, Williams was signed by 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 ...

New Orleans Saints

On May 13, 2019, Williams signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was released on August 31, 2019.

Los Angeles Chargers

On October 23, 2019, Williams was signed by the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

Denver Broncos (second stint)

On October 3, 2020, Williams was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 17, 2020. He was released on October 23, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted back to the active roster on October 27.

References

External links

Denver Broncos bioNorth Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sylvester 1988 births Living people All-American college football players American football defensive tackles Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players Los Angeles Chargers players Miami Dolphins players New Orleans Saints players North Carolina Tar Heels football players Players of American football from Missouri Sportspeople from Jefferson City, Missouri Tennessee Titans players