The Jets took a chance on veteran wide receiver Mike Williams this offseason, signing him to a one-year deal.
The 29-year-old tore his ACL in Week 3 of last season and was eventually released by the Los Angeles Chargers, with whom he began his NFL career with as the No. 7 overall pick in 2017, after refusing to take a pay cut.
Williams has made progress all offseason as he works his way back from his injury, and on Wednesday, New York activated him off the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
That has allowed Williams to participate in individual drills for the first time, and head coach Robert Saleh believes he is ahead of schedule.
“The good news is obviously he’s a lot further ahead than we anticipated,” Saleh said, via Alex Smith of SNY. “If I’m not mistaken, he was out at individual and some route-running stuff early, so that’s going to kind of be his progression. He’ll be involved in all of the walkthroughs, individual, routes on air … But we’re anticipating him getting back into team work, call it a couple of weeks from now.”
Whether Williams returns as the same player he was is still up for debate, but the steps he’s made thus far are promising, nonetheless.
This is also valuable time for Williams to begin building a rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He seemed in high spirits following his first practice on Thursday.
“It felt good,” Williams said. “I’ve been working off to the side for some time. Now just to do individuals with the group, it felt good. Putting on shoulder pads, running with the guys felt good.”
It will likely be a close call if Williams will be ready for the start of the regular season, but Saleh’s comments hint that could be a possibility.
Plus, Williams is antsy to prove he still has plenty of gas left in the tank to help a Jets team with Super Bowl aspirations.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Williams added. “I feel like I help the offense, I help this team explosively in the passing game, block outside on the edge for the backs, and put some points on the board.”
Williams has 309 catches for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns in his seven-year NFL career.
