Jets third-year DT Quinnen Williams is on the right path -- both in the short and long term.
In the short term, he's recovering well from his foot injury that sidelined him for the spring. In the long term, he feels he's on the right path to becoming one of NFL's best defensive tackles.
"I think I'm headed in the right direction," he said. "I think I'm taking the steps to become, eventually, that dominant defensive tackle in the NFL. I can't tell the future, I can't tell what's going to happen tomorrow, but every day I make sure today I take the steps on becoming what I want to become and that's a dominant defensive tackle in the NFL. I just attack every single day with that mindset on becoming that.
"I just go out there and attack every day like I'm supposed to attack it, learn the playbook like I'm supposed to learn it, do the best I can do in the scheme on the field. I don't count stats, I don't count sacks, none of that stuff. I count 'Did I do my job to the best of my ability? Did I give 100 percent every single play like I'm supposed to?' That's the biggest thing I'll be worried about."
Even though Williams hasn't taken the field with his new teammates in this new system coached by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, he's excited to be a part of a new-look defensive line that includes free-agent additions Carl Lawson, Sheldon Rankins and Vinny Curry to go with what's already in place.
"I'm super excited to have some dominant guys like that alongside of me even in the room to help me better my game," Williams said. "Carl has a great get off, Sheldon has some great, twitchy moves. Adding those things and learning how to do those things will make me a better player and the competition is great."
He added: "Just to have the staff that we have, the room that we have in the defensive line room, everyone wants to see everybody bette. Carl probably has the best get off I've seen. Vinny Curry has a great get off also. To have those veteran guys in the room, it makes me want to do better and want to be better and get my get off better. Different things like that. We all bring things to the table and you can see why they brought those particular guys to perform in this defense."
Williams wouldn't put a timetable on his return to practice, but Head Coach Robert Saleh said he expects all the players who rehabbed in the spring to be ready for training camp. Williams, who had 55 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a team-leading 7 sacks and 14 QB hits in 2020, said it's a relief the injury occurred when it did.
"I'll be able to roll," he said. "Studying the playbook and doing the off the field things I need to do right now like diet, playbook and everything right now is very critical to me. I've been attacking that, but I can't wait to be ready to roll once the season starts and once I clear up."
