In 1989, Williams suffered a sprained knee in the third game against the Washington Redskins, opening the door for Francis to regain the starting position. In the fourth game against the New York Giants he tallied one interception. The next game against the Green Bay Packers he had a career-high 10 tackles and one pass defensed. After Williams returned to the lineup, they split time at cornerback until the fourteenth game against the Philadelphia Eagles, when he had 2 passes defensed during extended action in the second half. He started the last 2 games of the season. He posted 34 tackles, one interception (tied for second on the team) and 10 passes defensed (tied for the team lead).