The New York Jets are reportedly pursuing a trade for Washington Redskins left tackle Trent Williams ahead of the 2020 campaign.
Despite a rather strong second half to the season, the New York Jets were still an issue-prone ballclub in 2019. The team finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs after possessing much potential heading into the year.
That being said, there are a number of glaring holes the team must fill ahead of the new season. And arguably, the most important one is the offensive line. The Jets line heavily struggled last year, failing to gain any sort of on-field chemistry which played a role in the offense’s negative affairs.
But according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, Gang Green could be pursuing an upgrade via the trade market.
Some non-airport news …
According to multiple league sources, the #Jets are among the teams pursuing #Redskins LT Trent Williams.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 6, 2020
If a trade for Trent Williams were to go through, there would be upsides and downsides to it. Let’s start with the negatives so we could at least end on a beneficial note.
Williams hasn’t played a game since the 2018 season. Prior to the 2019 campaign, he demanded a trade or release due to a dispute over a medical matter.
The veteran underwent surgery in April 2019 to remove a growth on his head, which turned out to be dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, a cancer type. The handling of this issue in the past by the Redskins medical staff is what prompted Williams to want out of Washington.
He continued to hold out and eventually sat for the whole year after failing a physical. This was because of the discomfort he felt in a football helmet post-surgery.
So there’s his time away from the field, and then there’s his age. Williams will turn 32 prior to the start of the regular season, which is obviously older than plenty of offensive linemen. If the Jets feel choosing someone younger would be the better move, they may look to the draft. There could be multiple tackles available for them at No. 11 overall.
And now, the positive side.
Williams, for the most part, has been incredible throughout his career. He made seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2012-18 and was a second-team All-Pro in 2015. Within a Redskins organization that’s struggled for years to even surpass mediocrity, Williams has been a massive bright spot.
His talent and mentorship could bode well with this mostly-young Jets offensive line, a group that finished 29th in the NFL last year with 52 allowed sacks.
All in all, Williams is a hot commodity right now. The Jets aren’t the only team seeking his talents, so it’ll be interesting to see which organization ends up winning this battle.
