NY Jets WR Mike Williams not expected to be ready for training camp (and that's OK)

The NY Jets are expecting big things from former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams when he takes the field in 2024. But just when might he return to the gridiron? According to Jets head coach Robert Saleh, "he still has a long way to go."

Saleh and Jets general manager Joe Douglas spoke at the annual NFL owners meeting on Monday, and while both were optimistic that Williams would be ready by the start of the regular season, neither indicated that he was anywhere close to returning.

Williams is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 3 of last season. Douglas told reporters that Williams is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July but that the team is hopeful he'll be ready for Week 1.

This might have caused some alarm among Jets fans who were hoping to see their new standout wide receiver on the field this summer. That said, none of this should be seen as surprising or concerning.

Latest Mike Williams injury update is not concerning for the NY Jets

It's perfectly normal and expected for a player who tore their ACL last fall not to return to the field by the start of training camp. Williams' rehab trajectory seems to align with Breece Hall's from a year ago.

Hall tore his ACL in October of 2022 and was placed on the PUP list to start training camp in 2023. He didn't return to the practice field until mid-August and didn't appear in a preseason game.

That didn't prevent Hall from hitting the ground running — figuratively and literally — upon his return in September. Of course, every athlete recovers at their own rate, but nothing has suggested there should be any concern regarding Williams' rehab to this point.

The former first-round pick has battled nagging back injuries in recent years, although he hasn't missed much time. Prior to his ACL injury in 2023, Williams had missed just nine games over the previous five seasons. He appeared in 15+ games every year between 2018 and 2021.

The Jets have high hopes for Williams, who was signed to a one-year contract worth a maximum of $10 million last week. The expectation is that Williams will give the Jets a high-end WR2 to pair with Garrett Wilson in the team's offense. That only works if he's on the field, however.

For now, the Jets have no reason to be concerned about Williams' status entering the spring. He appears to be on track to return in time for the regular season.