5 NY Jets playing with a chip on their shoulder this season

1. Quinnen Williams, DT, NY Jets

In a world where pre-Saleh era picks are often discarded or buried on the depth chart, it's super impressive that not only does Quinnen William pre-date Robert Saleh but he also pre-dates GM Joe Douglas.

Fellow defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd is the only other Jets player that can say this as they are the last two Maccagnan Era talents left standing in this regime.

NFL.com's pre-draft profile of Williams was littered with terms like "Day 1 starter" and "Pro Bowl potential" while PFF gave him the highest grade they've ever given an interior defensive lineman.

To say expectations were high would be an understatement, as most NFL comparisons for Williams opted to choose perennial All-Pro and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.

Those are extremely large shoes to fill, and although he had a commendable rookie season, his box score stats never quite came close to Donald's.

This is Williams' contract year, so a GM that didn't draft him and a coaching staff that didn't choose him are working together to determine his worth and decide whether or not to give him a big extension (if any extension at all).

If there were ever a time for Williams to step out and show the world that those Aaron Donald comparisons of 2019 were plausible, this would be the time.

So far he has done more than just answer the challenge — he's crushing it. The NFL put up that nice highlight video package to celebrate Williams being the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. He became the first Jet since Darrelle Revis in 2009 to win this award, putting himself in some elite company.

He has been an absolute game-wrecker each week and has made a serious claim to being the best Jets player on the team — especially after losing Alijah Vera-Tucker and Breece Hall to season-ending injuries.

Finally having depth on the defensive line with him seems to be paying huge dividends as this is the first time in the NFL he's had a pass rusher the caliber of Carl Lawson on the same line. This surplus in talent is resulting in career years for almost all of the linemen, but Williams has been the biggest benefactor.

Is it time to pay him? Will the chip disappear if they do? These are all questions that I will leave into the trusted hands of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh to answer, but in the meantime, Williams has been putting the NFL world on notice.

A Quinnen Williams with a chip on his shoulder is a Quinnen Williams no opposing QB should ever want to see.