Trade Leonard — yet
“proud” of Williams for his ability to affect the passer and be effective against the run, the numbers simply haven’t been there for Mike Maccagnan’s first draft pick.
Williams, the No. 6 pick in the 2015 draft, has racked up 89 career quarterback hits and been a consistent menace against the run. But the fact that he has just 17 sacks (and none this season) in 69 career games is troublesome.
Williams is making $14.2 million on his fifth-year option. The Jets would almost certainly require a 2020 third-round pick plus additional draft capital to make it worth their while to move him. Absent a team-friendly extension, letting him walk in free agency would likely a net a 2021 compensatory third-round pick.
Moving Williams would weaken the strongest part of Gregg Williams’ defense, but it would supply new general manager Joe Douglas with more resources to bolster the roster the way he envisions moving forward. If the Jets don’t believe that a realistic playoff push or team-friendly extension is possible, then it makes sense to get 2020 draft capital for the new regime.
“I wouldn’t say it makes me uneasy,” Williams said about the possibility of being traded in the next couple weeks. “You see the best players in the league get traded. It’s not like it’s a personal thing. It’s just the way the business is. And I can’t take anything personal. And that’s why I said I can’t really focus too much on it, because I can’t control it. The best thing I can control is my play. Wherever I end up, just focus on that.”