Jets receiver Mike Williams activated off the PUP list
Jets wide receiver Mike Williams speaks to reporters at the team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J., on June 12. Credit: AP/Dennis Waszak Jr.
Mike Williams predicted he would be ready to play in the Jets’ season opener when he signed with the team as a free agent in the spring.
He beat that deadline by about a month.
The wide receiver passed his physical and was activated off PUP on Wednesday, clearing the way for him to begin practicing with the team as soon as Thursday’s joint workout with the Commanders in Florham Park. While he probably won’t be dropped straight into competitive reps against another team, he’ll at least be able to go through some drills with the Jets – catch his first official passes from Aaron Rodgers -- and possibly participate fully in practices next week.
“We need to get him out there,” Rodgers said of Williams at the start of training camp last month, eagerly noting that the 6-4 target looked to be ahead of schedule in his rehab.
Williams, 29, tore his ACL in a Week 3 game last September when he was playing for the Chargers. He was still recovering from that injury when he was released by Los Angeles and signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jets in March. He caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards while averaging 15.6 yards per catch with 31 TDs in seven seasons with the Chargers, who drafted him seventh overall in 2017.
If he can remain healthy – Williams has missed at least one game each of the last five seasons – he should provide another receiver for defenses to focus on and create openings for Garrett Wilson and others at the position. Assuming Williams becomes a regular starter he would likely push Allen Lazard to a backup role.
Williams said he would “for sure” be ready for the Sept. 9 opener in San Francisco when he last spoke with reporters in March. “That's my goal, to be able to go out there, play this season and give it my all, give this team a chance, win the big thing,” he said.
Now he’ll have a chance to try to do that.
Notes: The Jets signed RB Deon Jackson and released WR Hamze El-Zayat on Wednesday.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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