The first day of November 2021 is one that always should be remembered in Los Angeles football lore.
In acquiring Von Miller from the Denver Broncos, the Rams set in motion a Super Bowl run for the ages.
But that same week, just as the future Hall of Famer was arriving at the team facility in Thousand Oaks to meet his new teammates and coaches, another less heralded defender sensed the end of his season.
"I remember sitting in one of the offices, you know, about to get cut," recalled defensive lineman Jonah Williams on a new episode of Rams Revealed. "And you see Von Miller come in with the camera crew – knowing that we were switching roles there."
The now 28-year-old Williams was claimed by Minnesota after making room for Miller. But a failed physical brought him back to Los Angeles, where he spent the rest of that 2021 campaign on the practice squad.
Meanwhile, Miller and the Rams endured a no-win November that sparked an undefeated December. In the postseason, the dynamic edge rusher racked up four sacks, six tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
The confetti fell.
And on the sideline, Williams watched and celebrated.
Now, as L.A. travels to Cincinnati for Monday Night Football in Week 3 – the first regular season meeting between the franchises since that triumphant night at SoFi Stadium – Williams is a certified starter.
Asked to tangle with one of the premier left tackles in the game, he more than held his own against San Francisco's Trent Williams in a hard-fought loss.
"The way that Jonah played was awesome to see," head coach Sean McVay told us on his show. "I thought (Sunday) was probably his best performance as a Ram."
The former Big Sky Player of the Year at Weber State was undrafted; he took the only scholarship he was offered coming out of high school. Nothing's been handed to Jonah Williams. And now his ambition is to be active, not in street clothes, for the final game of a season.
"I really, really want to be able to earn that Super Bowl – be in that same position again but actually contributing."
For more on how he grew from a prep tight end into an NFL regular, join us for this week's Rams Revealed.
