Suddenly, Avery Williamson is a huge part of the New York Jets defense

Suddenly, Avery Williamson is a huge part of the New York Jets defense

Last season, New York Jets linebacker Avery Williamson looked like he was headed out the door. First, he was out for the season with a torn ACL. Then there was speculation that he was going to be a salary-cap cut. Things changed when fellow linebacker C.J. Mosley opted-out for the 2020 NFL season. Then Wednesday, James Burgess was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list. Meanwhile, Williamson continues to rehab from a torn ACL that has kept him off the field for nearly a year.

Williamson is currently on the Physically Unable to Play list (PUP). He told reporters he is tired of rehab and ready to get back out there, saying that he would be ready for the start of the season on September 13 at Buffalo.

“In June, I’m just really started turning the corner,” he told reporters Wednesday via a media conference call. “Doing a lot of running and the workload has increased over the months, but I'm feeling really good and I feel like I'm doing a good job to compete. Just as long as I'm ready for the season which I know I will be.”

Last year, Williamson was hurt in the final game of preseason when all the other starters had come out of the game. Jets head coach Adam Gase felt responsible for leaving him in and said last year he felt terrible about it.

Williamson signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract with the Jets back in 2018. He’s already been paid the guaranteed portion of the contract so there was speculation last year when he was hurt was that he’d be cut to save money.

“In this business, you never know what can happen,” Williamson said. “I try to just ignore the noise and just keep on working, just try to stay focused. It’s kind of hard when you don’t have anything to do during quarantine.”

With Burgess’s status uncertain and Mosley out for the whole season, Williamson is suddenly a key cog in the Jets’ defense. The Jets defense will be counting on Williamson to get back on the field, be healthy and contribute to the defense to absorb some of the losses.

“I don’t think we’re too far away, there are still some things we have to check some boxes with when we actually do get on the field with our training staff,” head coach Adam Gase said Wednesday in a conference call. “I know just from speaking with him multiple times this offseason and actually seeing him the other day in the training room. He wants to go out of the training room and back into football. I think that year on IR was tough. For him, he’s excited, he’s clearing these steps he has to take to get back on the field.”

He speaks of a ‘next man-up’ mentality when it came to the news of Mosley opting out. The Jets do have some good depth at linebacker, perhaps their deepest position group on the roster.

One of those options, James Burgess was recently placed on the COVID-19 list. Till then, the Jets will look to linebackers Neville Hewitt, Blake Cashman, and Patrick Onwuasor to carry the load.

“We’ve got guys in the room who can play linebacker,” said Williamson. “They showed it last year when me and him (Mosley) went down. We had guys step up.”