As a member of the Eagles coaching staff, slot-specific coach Ronell Williams is big on ‘adding value’

The brim of Ronell Williams’ gray beanie shields his forehead and sits precisely above his eyebrows. When his Apple Watch buzzes, signaling a notification from his wife, Samantha, the Eagles’ first-year nickel cornerbacks coach becomes elated.

His eyebrows raise. His face beams. His beanie stretches a tad.

After a recent practice, Williams is eager for his remaining tasks. His days at the NovaCare Complex typically begin before sunrise, and they conclude more than a dozen hours later. At this moment, he has dedicated a portion of his afternoon to sit down with The Inquirer before he scurries to the second floor of the Eagles’ complex, where he’ll lead a film session with cornerbacks Avonte Maddox, Bradley Roby, Eli Ricks, and James Bradberry.

As Williams begins to respond to a question regarding the intricacies of his role, his watch buzzes. It’s another message from Samantha. He’s beaming again. Just a few days earlier, Samantha gave birth to the couple’s first child, Ronell Williams Jr.

This season, the Chester native, West Chester University, and Temple alumnus has experienced the highs and lows of life in the NFL. Williams has been afforded little continuity with his personnel, as the group has dealt with injuries throughout the campaign. It’ll be all hands on deck for the Eagles — who after concluding the season with an 11-6 record, including a 1-5 stretch over their last six games — travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday evening in the NFC wild-card round.

For Williams, being able to return to the Philadelphia area and coach his hometown team has been a blessing, and the recent birth of his son has helped him push through some of the daily rigors that are associated with the job.

“This is a dream come true,” Williams said. “I take great pride in being from here. My biggest philosophy in life is being able to add value to whatever task is in front of you.”

When Williams was introduced last spring, many fans and pundits took notice of his job title. The incorporation of a nickels-specific coach is fairly new across the NFL, and the Eagles are the only team in the NFC East that employs a nickel cornerbacks coach. Williams, who turns 32 on Feb. 2, joined the Eagles after he spent four seasons (2019-22) as a defensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears.

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Williams’ coaching career officially began in 2016. At the time, he juggled two day jobs, in addition to his role as a volunteer linebackers coach at Widener University. Williams, who majored in occupational therapy, would start his early mornings at the human services nonprofit Elwyn, where he worked closely with geriatric patients.

In the afternoons, he’d fulfill his responsibilities as general manager of a local car wash. Finally, a couple of hours before sunset, Williams would venture over to Widener, where he was able to fulfill his lingering passion for coaching.

“I was able to scratch that itch, being around the linebackers, helping out the young guys,” Williams said.

At Widener, Williams volunteered under former Eagles linebackers coach Bill Shuey, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time. It was Shuey who originally coached Williams during his collegiate days at West Chester, where in 2012 he became the third defensive player in school history to earn first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association.

“The one thing I know about Ronell is he’s a passionate guy,” said Shuey, an outside linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I knew he had aspirations to go pro. He was a multi All-American. His passion and work ethic, he was so driven for the game that I knew there was going to be a void when he didn’t make it to the NFL. There’d be a void to fill. So we had just started a graduate assistant program at Widener and we were looking for candidates.

“I thought he’d be perfect for it. His passion, I discovered that from the first days I met him because at practice … he didn’t have any problem holding anyone accountable.”

Throughout his first season with the Eagles, Williams has taken a hands-on approach that players have welcomed.

“He’s been awesome,” Maddox said. “You usually don’t get a nickel cornerback coach. During practices in my career, you’re usually working with the cornerbacks or the safeties. So now we specifically got a coach that does stuff for the nickel. He’s definitely been helpful because I have more time to meet with him on the field, and we get more time to talk to him.

“We don’t have to wait anymore until the film sessions to watch it and find out what we did wrong. He’ll correct us right there on the field. He’s an amazing coach, amazing person.”

Bradberry has worked primarily as an outside cornerback throughout his eight-year career. But this season, due to a lack of personnel from injuries and also matchup-specific preferences, Bradberry has rotated at times to the slot. While the team’s 31st-ranked pass defense has left much to be desired, Bradberry said Williams has provided a fresh voice to the defensive backs room.

“Ronell is really good at noticing little technique adjustments,” Bradberry said. “He’s never afraid to point it out right there in the moment.”

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Asked how Nick Sirianni’s midseason decision to switch play-callers from coordinator Sean Desai to senior assistant Matt Patricia has affected him and his position group, Williams replied: “The job description never changes, regardless of who is in there. It was always made clear to all of us, from [defensive backs coach] D.K. McDonald, who does a phenomenal job of running the room, to Coach Sirianni … it’s understood that we have a job to do and we have to get it done. These [players] are eager for feedback. They want to be detailed. I’m just a vessel.

“My most important thing is, how can I convey the message in a concise manner to our nickels? I love going to the offensive coaches and I’ll ask them, ‘This is what we’re trying to get done, this is how we’re being attacked — what would give you issues?’ So I’m really just trying to dive into all the resources that I have in this building.”

Considering how the Eagles stumbled over the final two months of the regular season, team owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman will likely review and evaluate all levels of personnel, along with the coaching staff, whenever the offseason arrives. Over the next several days, Williams will look to live out his philosophy of adding value to the task at hand. That current task is centered on slowing the Bucs offense with an emphasis on receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, a duo that combined for 2,279 receiving yards in the regular season.

Monday will mark one of the biggest games of his coaching career. Before Williams emerges from the visitors’ tunnel at Raymond James Stadium, he plans to FaceTime with Samantha and their newborn. While his nerves will likely be high, Williams has newfound peace in the comfort that his family has provided — during what has essentially been his homecoming.

“My dream job has always been to work for the Philadelphia Eagles,” he said. “I was raised 20 minutes down the road. There [are] some things in this that you couldn’t put a value on. It’s hard to fathom. You miss a lot when you’re away in this coaching life — graduations, birthdays, holidays. But being home, you get that feeling of family again, which is awesome.

“My life was all about growing up with family and structure. Being able to be reinstated in that structure is second to none.”