Hurdles. They've been featured fairly regularly in recent Olympics track coverage. And a different set figure prominently in any NFL player's return from a serious injury.
Mike Williams cleared a significant hurdle when the Jets activated him from their Physically Unable to Perform list Wednesday, and he's begun his controlled sprint around the track toward becoming an impact wideout again.
"I'd say this whole process has been a grind," Williams said of his rehab. But as far as returning to individual drills Thursday, his first practice since he tore his ACL with the Chargers last September, he likes the lane he's in now.
"I was working off to the side for some time," he said. "Just to do individuals with the group, it felt good, yeah. It's putting on shoulder pads, running with the guys. It felt good."
More procedural hurdles are ahead for the eighth-year WR. He was expected to participate in today's walk-through but will not play Saturday when the Jets open their preseason schedule at MetLife Stadium against the Commanders. As for opening night at San Francisco on Sept. 9, he offered an enigmatic smile.
"I guess we've got to see," he said.
Head coach Robert Saleh provided a timeline for Williams to get to the rehab finish line and then, the Jets hope, into the starting blocks for San Fran and the season ahead.
"The good news is obviously, he's a lot further ahead than we anticipated," Saleh said. "He'll be involved in all the walk-throughs, individuals, routes on air, so for the next week or two, that's about the extent of what we'll see unless he starts feeling good. But we anticipate him getting back into teamwork maybe a couple of weeks from now."
The 6-4, 218-pounder, when at the top of his game, brings a downfield dimension that should devastatingly dovetail with Garrett Wilson's great productivity and play-making in the passing game. His 129 targets, 76 catches and 1,146 yards for the '21 Chargers and his 10 TD catches in '18 were all career highs, while his 20.4 yards/catch led the NFL in 2019.
Among the league's WRs from 2018-23 with at least 200 catches, Williams officially is No. 1 with 15.8 yards/catch and unofficially is second in yards before each catch with an 11.4 average.
Many observers want to know how quickly Williams can establish that downfield chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers. Williams said the process is already well under way in the meeting rooms.
"If I see something and I want to know, I always ask questions," he said. "I feel like that can help me without actually being out there doing it, just making sure we're on the same page so when I do get the opportunity to go out there, you know, it's not something I see and I'm not on the same page with him."
And one of Williams' strengths is his mathematical ability to turn 50/50 balls into 80/20 receptions in his favor. But he said he and Rodgers will be able to rapidly fine-tune that part of his game.
"I'm going to let Aaron be Aaron," he said. "Aaron's been doing this for a long time with a lot of different receivers, so I'm going to just react to him. I feel like we're going to get on the same page quick. I feel like it won't be a hard transition. I feel like we going to make each other's job easy."
Together, they will help the offense realize its 2024 potential.
"I think we can be explosive. I think we can put up a lot of points," Williams said. "When we get a lead, the defense can let the dogs go and make some things happen. So we've just got to control what we can control, make sure we let everybody have fun, go out there, play football and just be aggressive."
