The New York Jets are erring on the side of caution with their new wide receiver Mike Williams this summer.
According to New York Post reporter Bradley Locker, the Jets have placed their marquee offseason acquisition on the active PUP list. Locker shared this quote from Jets head coach Robert Saleh about the team’s excitement regarding what Williams can bring to the table once he reaches full strength in 2024.
“I think he’ll do wonders for all of them,” Saleh said about Williams’ impact on the team’s skill-position players. “With the combination of our skill guys and Aaron [Rodgers], you’d like to think you’d see more two-high [coverage], which will open up some of the run game. The faster he [Williams] gets to full speed, I think it’s just going to be more troublesome for defenses to pinpoint who they want to stop.”
What Mike Williams’ PUP list status means for himself and the Jets moving forward
With the Jets’ decision to place the 29-year-old on the Player Unable to Perform list, Williams will be allowed to participate in team activities but will be barred from practicing. The former 2017 No. 7 overall pick’s health is of the utmost importance for New York’s potential success next season.
The Jets expect Williams to step into the WR2 role opposite budding star Garrett Wilson and provide quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a high-end deep-ball threat that can also convert in the red zone when targeted. Though he tore his ACL in Week 3 for the Los Angeles Chargers against the Minnesota Vikings, the 6-4 pass-catcher went for an impressive 249 receiving yards with an ever-so-reliable 73.1 percent catch percentage and one touchdown grab, which put him on pace to notch his third career 1,000-yard season.
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Jets are looking to avoid putting Williams on the reserved PUP list
As the 2024 campaign draws closer to commencement, the Jets will get a better picture of whether they’ll need to relegate Williams to the reserve PUP list, which would mandate that he sits out for the first four weeks of the season. The Jets have a light start to their upcoming schedule, with three of their first four matchups against teams in the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos who all finished under .500 in 2023.
No matter, they’ll need their talented wideout to be big-time in 2024, and hope he can start off with a bang in their season opener against the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
