The Jets drafted three defensive linemen in the first round of the draft between 2011 and 2015, but only one of them remains on the roster.
This offseason could bring some idea about how long that will be the case. Defensive end Leonard Williams is under contract for 2019 because the Jets exercised their option for a fifth year and that’s often a time when teams talk about extensions with players they see as part of their future.
Williams says he “can’t worry about that type of stuff” because all he can “control is my play and the way I carry myself and the way I prepare.” Through 13 games this season, Williams doesn’t feel that those things have been as good as they could be.
“I’m not like super-excited about the way it’s been going,” Williams said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “I definitely feel like I’ve been showing flashes of being good and being able to be dominant. I think I just have to work on being consistent and see what it takes to be consistent.”
The Jets could choose to move on this offseason by trading Williams, but they have a lot of cap space so a likelier course of action may be filling out the roster around him while waiting to make a longer-term decision until after Williams wraps up his fifth season.