Avery Williamson spent last year’s Jets training camp getting up to speed on a new defense so he could call plays on the field and become the team’s leading tackler.
A year later, Williamson is right back in the same spot, minus the play-calling, but adding pass coverage to his list of top responsibilities as he makes the move to weakside linebacker. The Jets brought in C.J. Mosley to take over at the “Mike” linebacker spot, shifting Williamson to his new position in coordinator Gregg Williams’ defense, which he is growing more comfortable with by the day.
“I feel like today was a lot better than [Saturday] on some run fits,” Williamson said Sunday after the Jets wrapped up their second practice in pads. “You’re not playing fast when you’re thinking about stuff. So I feel like today was a lot more free and just running. That’s what I do. Once you get comfortable with the playbook, I feel like that’s what I’ll be doing a lot more of. It just takes studying. Even when you think you got it, you just gotta keep on looking at it.”
While Williamson was strong as a run stopper last year, he will be tasked with improving at dropping into coverage against running backs or slot receivers. The 6-foot-1, 237-pounder said he focused more on his technique during the offseason. He should get plenty of work against speedy backs every day in practice, with the likes of Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery across the line of scrimmage.
“I think that matchup is good for our safeties and our linebackers,” head coach Adam Gase said. “I feel like he’s done a good job. He’s been matched up in some of our man stuff. It’s been a tough completion and then in the zone stuff, he’s squeezing down those lanes really fast. He’s showed up quite a bit.”
Equally important is getting comfortable with Mosley. That process started in the spring, Gase said, as the two got a feel of what they needed from each other and made sure they were communicating to be on the same page.
The long days of training camp will offer even more time for the two to develop their fine-tuning in the middle of Williams’ defense.
“It’s been good working with him,” Williamson said. “We’re just figuring out how to work as a team. Just making sure we’re the best duo on the field.”
