Tag: Avery Williamson

2020 New York Jets Position Preview: Middle Linebacker

Jets Wire breaks down New York’s middle linebacker room with training camp and the 2020 season approaching.

With the beginning of training camp less than a week away, it’s time to take a closer look at the makeup of the Jets’ roster entering the 2020 season.

While the injury bug hit the Jets in multiple positions in 2019, the middle linebacker spot took the brunt of the hits. C.J. Mosley missed 14 games with a groin injury, while Avery Williamson missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL. New York relied on patchwork depth and while the unit held its own, it got exposed at times.

As training camp and the beginning of the regular season inch closer, Jets Wire will provide a look at each of New York’s position groups and what could be in store for the unit in 2020. Let’s breakdown the middle linebacker room at One Jets Drive.

The Starter

A healthy Mosley means the world for the Jets defense. He showed just a  glimpse of what he’s capable of during the first three quarters of the Jets’ Week 1 matchup against the Bills. Mosley was the best player on the field for nearly 45 minutes, coming away with a pick-six, fumble recovery and six tackles in his debut in green and white.

The Jets prematurely rushed Mosley back from a significant groin injury, which led to him requiring season-ending surgery. With Mosley given the all-clear to return to the field, the Jets defense is getting back an elite-player who can change the dynamic of games, just as he showed in his Jets debut.

Getting a player of Mosley’s caliber back into the starting lineup should pay dividends for New York’s defense. Even without Mosley, the injury-riddled unit was able to finish seventh in the league in total yards allowed.

Depth

The Jets’ depth at inside linebacker was tested last year and it could remain one of the team’s strong suits if Mosley and Williamson are granted clean bills of health. Despite his resume, Williamson will have to audition for a starting spot. While New York can save around $6.5 million in cap space, Williamson will be given an opportunity to make the team. After a fluke ACL injury cost him his 2019 season, Williamson is motivated by his year away from the game and looking to return to form. In 2018, he compiled a career-high 120 combined tackles, three sacks, one interception, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Vying to beat out Williamson are Blake Cashman, Neville Hewitt and newest addition Patrick Onwuasor. Cashman, a former fifth-round pick out of Minnesota, had 40 total tackles and a half-sack in seven games before a torn labrum and fractured shoulder derailed his rookie campaign. Cashman has a nose for the football, but he’s still very raw and a reserve role is more likely.

As for Hewitt, he had the best season of his career in 2019, setting multiple personal bests. In 12 starts, Hewitt played 762 defensive snaps, adding 78 total tackles, two interceptions, five passes defended, three sacks and eight quarterback hits. Hewitt is a perfect depth piece for New York considering his play doesn’t level off when he enters the starting lineup.

Onwuasor is the only new face in the middle, but he does have familiarity playing next to Mosley from their days in Baltimore. Onwuasor is a versatile chess piece but was benched by the Ravens after they thought he could be Mosley’s heir on the strongside. With something to prove and a return to the weakside in the cards, Onwuasor has an opportunity to start in New York.

James Burgess and B.J. Bello round out the Jets’ middle linebacker depth chart. Burgess is a favorite of Gregg Williams dating back to their days in Cleveland. He did an admirable job filling in the second half of the 2019 season, recording 69 tackles and an interception in New York’s final eight games. A career journeyman at just 25, Bello could be a special teams contributor. He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the Jets’ Week 15 loss to the Ravens.

Outlook

Mosley has a chance to be a game-changer in the middle as he returns to the starting lineup. Who will be playing next to him in Williams’ 3-4 scheme will be determined in New York’s limited training camp, but the Jets have the necessary and formidable depth to cover their bases in the middle of the field.

Williamson will have an expensive audition, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to return to form in the coming weeks. Onwuasor’s knowledge of the defensive scheme and experience playing with Mosley gives him the best chance of being part of the Jets’ starting lineup come Week 1.

Jets’ Pierre Desir, Frank Gore among players to call out NFL over coronavirus protocols

Pierre Desir and Frank Gore were among the Jets players to take to Twitter to call out the NFL coronavirus protocols on Sunday.

Players around the NFL are not happy with the league’s inability to come to an agreement on safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With teams set to report to training camp beginning on Monday, the NFL has yet to etch out the details of its plan to protect its players from coronavirus. Social distancing guidelines have been established, but the league is still negotiating many details of its plan for player safety, including testing frequency and the number of preseason games that will be played.

On Sunday, numerous players around the NFL took to Twitter to speak out and voice their concerns with the season inching closer. Among them were Jets running back Frank Gore, linebacker Avery Williamson, cornerback Pierre Desir and Brian Poole, all of whom had plenty to say as they prepare to report to One Jets Drive on Thursday.

NFL Players Association director DeMaurice Smith and president JC Tretter addressed the union’s concerns in a video teleconference call with reporters on Friday in which they called for daily testing. A joint committee of doctors, trainers and strength coaches formed by the NFL and NFLPA recommended testing occur every other day.

Jets players will begin reporting to training camp on Tuesday with the rookies being the first to head back to team facilities. Quarterbacks and injured players will report on Thursday, while the remainder of the team is set to return on July 28. Players can choose not to report, but under the collective bargaining agreement, teams can fine players who do not show up for camp.

Jets LB Avery Williamson motivated after lost 2019

After missing the entire 2019 season with an ACL injury, Jets LB Avery Williamson is using his year away from football as motivation.

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.”

11 veteran Jets fighting for their roster spot this training camp

Jets Wire takes a look at 11 veterans who will be fighting for their roster spot when New York reports to training camp in late July.

Training camp is the time for undrafted free agents and unheralded fringe players to make their case for an active roster spot. It is also the time for veterans to put everything on the line in order to keep their jobs.

When the Jets report to training camp on July 28, there will be just as many young players duking it out for a roster spot as there will be veterans hanging on for dear life. New York has a good amount of positions up for grabs, which means opportunity for the veterans. However, general manager Joe Douglas and company will have no issue siding with a younger player over one with more experience if the younger player dominates while the veteran treads water.

So, which Jets veterans will be fighting for a job in training camp? Here are 11 that are going to have to impress if they want to break camp with New York in September.

Avery Williamson

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It’s rare that a player finds himself on the chopping block less than two years after leading his team in tackles, but that is the position Avery Williamson is in entering training camp.

Williamson missed all of 2019 due to a torn ACL, putting his future with the Jets in flux. Blake Cashman shined as a rookie in Williamson’s place, while New York added C.J. Mosley’s former running mate, Patrick Onwuasor, in free agency this offseason. That does not necessarily mean Williamson is on his way out, but it puts him behind the eight ball when it comes to making the 53-man roster.

Considering the financial gain the Jets stand to benefit from by parting ways with Williamson, all signs point toward the 28-year-old not breaking camp with the team. Unless he leaves no doubt that he should be the starting inside linebacker opposite Mosley, Williamson’s time at One Jets Drive could be running short.

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9 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

AFC East news roundup on the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins for Buffalo Bills fans to know.

You’re probably all on top of the latest news surrounding the Buffalo Bills and we hope Bills Wire helped you get there. But let’s keep you up to date with the Bills news, just outside the Bills’ realm.

The upcoming 2020 NFL season has many thinking the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East. But Buffalo isn’t just going to stroll into that title. The Dolphins, Jets, and of course the Patriots, will all have something to say about that.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are nine news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

New England Patriots

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Cam’s contract

We found out just last week that the Patriots brought former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on board to help replace Tom Brady. Prior to that, it was assumed Jarrett Stidham would be the guy but… not so fast.

The news in general turned some heads in the NFL world. What did so further was the details of his contract. Newton signed a deal worth $1.05 million in salary in 2020, the veteran minimum for a player with the quarterback’s NFL experience. Newton is guaranteed just $550,000, but with incentives in his deal, he could earn up to $7.5 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That’s pretty underpaid. But Newton has since responded to that criticism.

On Thursday, Newton took to his social media account on Instagram and wrote this message:

“THÏŠ ÏŠ ÑØT ÄßØŪT MØÑĒ¥ FØR MĒ; ïtš âbøût RĒŠ₽ĒČT.”

Newton’s looking to change the narrative about him, but of course, the Bills will have something to say about that.

 

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7 moves the Jets can still make before training camp

Jets Wire takes a look at seven moves the Jets can still make before training camp begins in late July.

There is still plenty of time for Jets general manager Joe Douglas to improve New York’s roster before the beginning of training camp in late July.

Douglas has spent all offseason positioning the Jets to look more like a contender than a team still rebuilding in 2020. He put together a draft class that was met with almost universally positive reviews and did well to add some new talent at relatively cheap rates in free agency. There is still more work that can be done, though.

Armed with $14.2 million in salary cap space with another $11 million in cap relief coming on Monday thanks to the release of Trumaine Johnson, Douglas has enough ammunition to get New York’s roster exactly where he wants it to be before the offseason ends.

With that being said, here are seven moves that Douglas can make to not only bring more talent to One Jets Drive, but also to free up the money necessary to add such talent.

Sign Larry Warford

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to believe that Larry Warford is still a free agent.

Warford, who turns 29 in mid-June, is coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and is arguably at the top of his game right now. He has plenty of good football left ahead of him and his arrival in New York would give the Jets an elite run blocker.

Considering the emphasis Joe Douglas has placed on upgrading in the trenches throughout the offseason, there is no reason to pass up on a player of Warford’s caliber as long as he is not asking for an exorbitant amount of money.

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As rumors heat up, Logan Ryan is still a great fit for Jets

According to reports, the Jets are in contact with free-agent cornerback Logan Ryan.

Could the Jets be close to adding a veteran cornerback to their secondary?

According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, the Jets have had contract discussions with representatives for free-agent cornerback Logan Ryan. However, no formal offer has been made to Ryan and there is no strong feeling within the organization about whether he will actually sign with the team.

After the Jets drafted Ashtyn Davis, who could potentially line up at cornerback, Bryce Hall and traded for Colts cornerback Quincy Wilson, it remained to be seen if general manager Joe Douglas and company would have any interest in adding Ryan given New York’s newfound depth at the position. Now, it seems like the Jets are exploring the possibility.

Ryan, 29, is coming off arguably the best season of his career, setting new highs in tackles (113), pass deflections (18), sacks (4.5) and forced fumbles (four). Ryan also added four interceptions as a member of a Tennessee Titans defense that reached the AFC Championship Game.

Despite his strong showing throughout 2019, there is a major blemish on Ryan’s resume. He allowed the most yards (967) of any cornerback in football, per Michael Nania. However, Ryan also saw the most targets (114) at his position and played the third-most coverage snaps (623), causing his yardage allowed total to become somewhat inflated. Ryan gave up only 41 first downs on those 114 targets, which limited opposing wide receivers below the league average of 40.1 percent first downs per target.

Ryan is not an elite corner, but he could be exactly what the Jets need at this point in time. A duo of Ryan and Pierre Desir would be an immediate upgrade over what New York had on the outside at cornerback last season and would give defensive coordinator Gregg Williams two established defensive backs to insert into his scheme.

If the Jets are serious about their pursuit of Ryan, there may be some financial hurdles that need to be cleared before a deal can come to fruition, as New York only has $14.2 million remaining in salary cap space. This could mean the end for Brian Winters’ tenure with the team, as releasing him would free up $7.28 million, likely enough to sign Ryan. It could also mean Avery Williamson’s time with the Jets is up, as New York would clear $6.5 million in cap space by releasing him.

If all financial hurdles are cleared and Ryan, who grew up in New Jersey and played his college football at Rutgers, is interested in a homecoming, adding him to the secondary could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Jets. At the very least, it looks like the wheels for such a move to occur are now in motion.

The Jets still have money to spend. Here’s how they can use it.

Jets Wire breaks down how the Jets can use their remaining $14.2 million in salary cap space before the offseason ends.

The Jets have already made a number of moves to add talent this offseason, but there is still money left to be spent before training camp kicks off at the end of July.

New York currently has $14.2 million in remaining salary cap space. They need $9.8 million to sign their draft picks, but $11 million in cap relief comes on June 1 thanks to the release of Trumaine Johnson. The Jets can also free up more money if Joe Douglas chooses to part ways with a couple of players taking up a chunk of cap space. Either way, Douglas is going to have the capital to continue to improve the roster as the offseason nears an end.

So, how can the Jets not only make use of their remaining $14.2 million, but also free up more money to spend? Let’s take a look.

Release Avery Williamson and Brian Winters

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

There is a legitimate chance both Avery Williamson and Brian Winters become salary cap casualties before training camp rolls around.

The financial incentive to move on from both players is certainly there. Cutting Winters would free up an additional $7.28 million in salary cap space. Parting ways with Williamson would free up roughly $6.5 million.

The Jets have enough depth at linebacker and on the offensive line to absorb the impact of losing both players. With that in mind, if Joe Douglas has any designs on clearing up cap space, Williamson and Winters will be the first two players out the door.

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Jets enter 2020 NFL Draft with $18.8 million in cap space

The Jets unofficially have $18.8 million in cap space entering the 2020 NFL Draft.

As the New York Jets enter the 2020 NFL Draft, they are in the top 10 in the league in available cap space.

According to Overthecap.com, the Jets have $18.8 million in cap space left after they signed a plethora of free agents this offseason. That’s good for 10th in the NFL.

However, this number is not entirely accurate because the Jets haven’t officially announced the contracts of three players that have been signed. They include quarterback David Fales, cornerback Arthur Maulet and outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jenkins signed a one-year deal worth $5 million, which would bring the Jets down to $13.8 million in cap space. New York will also clear $8 million in cap space after June 1 thanks to Trumaine Johnson’s departure and the NFL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Joe Douglas could still make some changes to the roster, too. Brian Winters could be cut at any moment, especially if the Jets add more linemen in the draft. Another interesting player to keep an eye out for is Avery Williamson. Coming off an ACL injury, the Jets could look to trade him or outright cut him and save $6.5 million.

At the moment, the Jets have eight draft picks on hand, so a good chunk of that remaining cap will go to rookies. New York could also accumulate more draft picks by trading down from the 11th overall pick, which would mean even more money toward the cap.

However, with Douglas likely interested in a few free agents after the draft, expect New York to free up some funds.

Signing Logan Ryan would do wonders for Jets secondary

Jets Wire breaks down why signing free agent cornerback Logan Ryan would be a big-time move to upgrade the secondary.

Joe Douglas has done a nice job addressing the Jets secondary this offseason by signing Pierre Desir and bringing back Brian Poole, but there is still plenty of work to be done for the unit to become a solid one before Week 1 of the 2020 season rolls around.

Beyond Desir and Poole, there is not much on New York’s cornerback depth chart. Bless Austin is penciled in as the No. 2 cornerback opposite Desir, but his inexperience makes him a less than ideal option for the job. Arthur Maulet is a nice backup, but should not be in the running for a starting job. The same goes for Kyron Brown and Nate Hairston.

Fortunately for the Jets, there is a New Jersey native and former AFC East division rival still available for the taking in free agency who could come in and alleviate any cornerback concerns.

The Daily News’ Manish Mehta reported that the Jets are looking into signing former Patriots and Titans cornerback Logan Ryan. The 29-year-old is coming off arguably the best season of his career, setting new highs in tackles (113), pass deflections (18), sacks (4.5) and forced fumbles (four). Ryan also added four interceptions as a member of one of the better defenses in the NFL last season.

Ryan is not an elite corner, but he is exactly what the Jets need at this point in time. A duo of Desir and Ryan would be an immediate upgrade over what New York had at cornerback last season and would give defensive coordinator Gregg Williams two established defensive backs to insert into his scheme.

Before the Jets can realistically entertain any pursuit of the Rutgers product, there are financial hurdles that need to be cleared with only $18.8 million remaining in salary cap space. That could spell the end for Brian Winters’ tenure with the team, as releasing him would free up $7.28 million — likely enough to sign Ryan. It could also mean Avery Williamson’s time with the Jets is up, as New York would clear $6.5 million in cap space by releasing him.

Considering the depth the Jets have on the offensive line and at linebacker, they can absorb the loss of Winters or Williamson in order to improve their secondary. New York needs to do what it can in order to take advantage of a player of Ryan’s caliber lingering in free agency.

If all financial hurdles are cleared and Ryan is interested in a homecoming, adding him to the mix would do wonders for a Jets secondary in desperate need of some experienced talent.