David Edward "D. J." Williams Jr. (born September 10, 1988) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

before being selected by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

in the fifth round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

Early life

Williams attended Central Arkansas Christian High School, where his initial athletic interest was

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. He was encouraged to try

by high school coach Tim Perry. DJ was named all-state after his senior season, and was considered a four star recruit by most recruiting services.

College career

Williams played college football for the

. He was long considered a competitor for the 2010 John Mackey Award which is awarded to the nation's most outstanding tight end, along with Lance Kendricks and Michael Egnew. On December 9, 2010 it was announced that DJ was the 2010 John Mackey Award recipient at the 2010 Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet show on ESPNU. He also won the 2010 Disney Spirit Award as college football's most inspirational player. DJ was named to the 2010 1st Team All-SEC squad by the coaches and the AP, after amassing 54 receptions for 627 yards and 4 TD for a Razorbacks team that finished 10-3 after a loss to Ohio St in the Sugar Bowl. Arkansas won the Liberty Bowl over East Carolina in his junior year of 2009, finishing with a record of 8-5.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Williams was considered one of the best tight end prospects for the

. Williams was selected in the fifth round, with the 141st overall pick, by the

. Williams was released by the Packers on August 31, 2013.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Williams was claimed off waivers by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

on September 1, 2013. He was released by the Jaguars on November 4, 2013.

New England Patriots

On November 26, 2013, he was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. On December 4, 2013, he was waived by the

. Williams re-signed with the Patriots on December 9, 2013, after a season-ending injury to starting tight end

Rob Gronkowski Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the Ne ...

. On August 21, 2014, Williams was released by the Patriots.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Williams signed with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

on November 25, 2014. He was waived on December 2.

Washington Redskins

On August 16, 2015, the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

signed Williams. On September 4, he was waived with an injury settlement for final roster cuts before the start of the regular season.

NFL statistics

Personal life

Williams is a member of Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

. Although like other students Williams could have cited many accolades, he chose this statement alone to appear with his picture in the

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...

: "Baptized into Christ." Williams has cited ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...

'' as exemplifying the way he and his mother, Vicky Williams, and his two sisters overcame his abusive father and other challenges, including on the football field. DJ was working as a co-host on the morning show at Little Rock

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

affiliate television station KARK channel 4, when he was called by the

to join the team during their 2015 pre-season camp. Since he was cut before the regular season began, Williams returned to KARK. Williams has spearheaded "D.J.'s Day of Action" to build awareness and raise funds for Women & Children First, a Little Rock charity that helped Williams' family break the cycle of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

when he was a child.

References

External links

Arkansas Razorbacks bioTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, D. J. 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Dallas Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas American football tight ends Arkansas Razorbacks football players Green Bay Packers players Jacksonville Jaguars players New England Patriots players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Washington Redskins players