The timetable for Mike Williams in his injury recovery continues to progress, but for the New York Jets, it isn’t clear yet if he will play in preseason.
The Jets signed Williams to a contract this offseason with the expectation that he can bounce back from a year cut short due to injury.
Williams is progressing following an ACL injury last year with the Los Angeles Chargers that shelved him after just three games. Prior to the injury he was on pace for a strong season as he had 19 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown.
The hope for the Jets is that Williams can put up numbers similar to 2022 when he had 63 catches for 895 yards and four touchdowns. If he can return to health, then Williams has the potential to balance an offense that includes playmakers such as wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Bryce Hall.
“Well, he’s a dynamic player, right? And someone that you can’t just ignore when he’s on the football field,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Monday.
“He balances out defenses in the sense you can’t focus just on Breece. You can’t focus on Garrett, you can’t focus on our tight ends. You’ve got to know where he is, so it makes the defense play more balanced, so just his presence alone balances the numbers.”
In his seven NFL seasons, Williams has twice gone over 1,000 receiving yards.
“He’s progressing well. Right now, for him, it’s just continuing to gain confidence,” Saleh said. “It’s going to be more of a mental block than anything else, but I think he’s doing well.”
