Last season was supposed to be a big one for Avery Williamson. Paired with an All-Pro in C.J. Mosley and a defensive guru in Gregg Williams, the hope was that he would continue to develop into a Pro-Bowl caliber player.
Instead, Williamson never played a regular season game.
In an inexplicable move, Adam Gase left his starting inside linebacker on the field in the late second quarter of a preseason game. Then disaster struck. Williamson, the only starter still remaining in the game, injured his ACL on a fluke play and ultimately was forced to miss the entire 2019 season.
New York will give Williamson an expensive audition this summer, as it will allow him every opportunity to outright make the team. Williamson’s recovery from ACL surgery remains a looming determining factor for Gang Green, even though cutting Williamson would allow the Jets to save around $6.5 million in cap space.
The Jets could theoretically start any of Patrick Onwuasor, Blake Cashman or Neville Hewitt next to Mosley and not think twice. However, they want to see what Williamson has left in the tank. Now, Williamson is using his year away as the fuel and motivation he needs to secure a roster spot.
“The biggest thing was motivating myself to go to therapy every day and trying to get better,” Williamson told the team website when asked what he took away from his absence. “It’s a silent grind. You’re on your own working and it can definitely be a tough mental challenge. Being mentally tough is something I can take away from it.”
Without OTAs and a limited training camp, Williamson will need to prove himself, but his lone season in New York speaks for itself. In 2018, he compiled a career-high 120 combined tackles, three sacks, one interception, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
“I definitely want to go in being a leader on the defense and just knowing that I’m going to make plays,” Williamson said. “That’s what I did my first year with the Jets and I’m ready to continue that. Once we get back as a group, just going out in camp and proving myself again and showing them that I still have that same fire and the same ability to make those big plays.”