CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Gregg Williams of the Cleveland Browns reacts to a play in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Fresh off an interim head coaching stint in Cleveland, Gregg Williams is set to join the New York Jets as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Geoff Magliocchetti

In his first statements as New York Jets head coach, Adam Gase made it clear he wanted to form his staff of assistants. He’s apparently gotten one step closer to forming the full collection.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that Gregg Williams is set to become the Jets’ defensive coordinator. If hired, he will succeed Kacy Rodgers in the same position.

Williams, 60, was most recently employed with the Cleveland Browns, where he served as the defensive coordinator for the past couple of seasons. After head coach Hue Jackson’s firing in October, Williams served as the team’s interim head coach, compiling a 5-3 mark over the second half of the season. It was his second head coaching stint, having gone 17-31 in three full seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2001-03.

Williams’ career has been defined by his tenure with the New Orleans Saints from 2009-11. While he played a huge role in the team’s Super Bowl 44 victory in Miami, he gained notoriety for running an illegal bounty program that rewarded defenders for injuring opponents.

Several of Williams colleagues later claimed he ran similar programs with other teams. Damming evidence was presented in documentary audio, featuring a profanity-laden speech in which he encouraged his players to injure members of the San Francisco 49ers during a divisional playoff game. The scandal came to be known as “BountyGate”.

After serving one year in what was an indefinite suspension, Williams worked as a defensive coordinator with the Rams franchise. He would oversee the early development of several active NFC finalists, including Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.

Williams will take over a defense stocked with potential, but lacking results. Despite the emergence of safety Jamal Adams, who reached his first Pro Bowl in his second season, the Jets failed to see desired results from homegrown and imported talent alike. The unit ranked 25th in yards allowed and 29th in points against.

In other Jets coaching news, Adam Caplan of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier this week that special teams coordinator Brant Boyer will likely be retained.

Boyer, set to enter his fourth season with the Jets, oversaw one of the few consistent spots of the 2018 squad. Two of his proteges, kicker Jason Myers and returner Andre Roberts will likewise represent the team in the 2019 Pro Bowl on January 27.

Follow Geoff Magliocchetti on TWITTER