Much was made about A.J. Brown facing his former team for the first time, but he wasn’t the only familiar face making a reunion. It also marked the first time Milton Williams went head-to-head with the Philadelphia Eagles, a moment he enjoyed.

“We were chopping up, took some pictures,” Williams said. “Them guys, they’re my brothers, you know? End up winning (a Super Bowl) with them guys, and, you know, that’ll be in history forever. So them my dogs.”

The Eagles drafted Williams in the third round in the 2021 NFL draft. He worked his way into a key part of the rotation in 2023, and in 2024, Williams had two sacks and forced and recovered a fumble in Super Bowl LIX en route to a 40-22 win.

Williams signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the New England Patriots, becoming the highest-paid Patriot in franchise history by annual salary.

In his “return,” Williams put together a couple of strong days. He reportedly was in the backfield multiple times, picking up what would be a sack or disrupting Jalen Hurts’s throws. He also had a strong 1-on-1 rep against Landon Dickerson, driving him back.

When Williams departed, the door opened for Moro Ojomo to take over the key third defensive tackle spot. Williams had high praise for Ojomo at the joint practices.

“Man, Moro, he got everything he wants right in front of him,” Williams said. “I see a lot of myself in him, just the type of person he is and just the type of player he is. He got it all in his bag. He’s gonna work. He’s gonna get everything that he worked for, and the future is bright for him.”

For Ojomo, following the same path that Williams took is the plan.

“Milt didn’t get as much opportunity until that last year and he took it and ran with it,” Ojomo said. “That’s the mindset. He’s a hard worker and he played hard. You look back, even all the way to (Javon) Hargrave, Eagles have had a history of DT doing really well and ending up somewhere else.”

Extension talks between Ojomo and the Eagles reportedly began at the start of training camp. Three players drafted by Philadelphia are among the eight-highest paid interior linemen in the NFL, with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter getting extensions done, and Williams getting his money on the free agency market.

The Eagles don’t want Ojomo to follow Williams out the door and become a building block of an opposing defense, but with Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Jalyx Hunt all eligible for extensions next offseason, they may have to make the difficult choice of letting him walk.