NY Jets: Quinnen Williams held out of practice for second consecutive day

NY Jets’ defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was held out of practice on Friday.

NY Jets‘ defensive lineman Quinnen Williams is in the midst of a true breakout season after an underwhelming showing in his rookie year. But his breakout season may be put on hold for the time being.

Williams is reportedly dealing with a hamstring injury and was held out of practice for the second consecutive day on Friday. This comes after he missed Thursday’s practice for the same reason.

The former No. 3 overall pick was originally injured in the second half of the Jets’ 35-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday. After impressing early on, Williams was removed from the game and didn’t return.

Fortunately, the Jets were given an extra off-day since their Week 9 matchup against the New England Patriots is on Monday night, but it doesn’t seem to have helped Williams’ status.

The Jets have just one more day of practice on Saturday before the final injury report is revealed. And after not practicing on either Thursday or Friday, there’s a good chance that Williams misses this week’s game.

That’s a shame too considering how well he’s been playing as of late.

The former Alabama star is first among all interior defensive linemen in stops with 24 and second in run stuffs with 10. Moreover, he’s hardly been ineffective as a pass-rusher either as he ranks top-10 among all interior defensive linemen in sacks and top-25 in pressures and hurries.

He’s been one of the Jets’ most consistent defensive performers and they’ll surely miss him if he’s forced to the sidelines in Week 9.

The NY Jets also received some good news on Friday.

The Jets did receive some good news, however, regarding a pair of important offensive players. Both quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jamison Crowder returned to practice in a limited fashion after missing Thursday’s practice.

Darnold appeared to re-aggravate the shoulder injury that forced him to miss two weeks earlier the season when he scrambled in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss and was sandwiched between two Chiefs defenders.

Somewhat controversially, the Jets allowed Darnold to finish the game. But after a second evaluation, the team determined that no further damage was done and they seem optimistic that he will play this Monday.

The fact that he returned to practice, albeit in a limited fashion, on Friday is proof of that optimism.

As for Crowder, the dynamic slot receiver has missed the last two weeks with a groin injury, but his return also indicates that he should be back in the starting lineup on Monday.

The Jets could also see the return of Breshad Perriman who entered the last stage of concussion protocol after missing last week. For the first time this year, the Jets might actually have their starting trio of wide receivers in the lineup.

But of course, it can’t all be good news. And the status of Quinnen Williams certainly puts a damper on things.