Jets activate DL Quinnen Williams off PUP list

Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams will return to practice after spending time on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Quinnen Williams is taking a crucial step in his recovery from foot surgery.

On Monday, the Jets announced they have activated the third-year defensive lineman off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Williams had been on the list to commence training camp after he underwent surgery to fix a small broken bone in his foot this past May.

He's back.

Quinnen Williams has been activated from the PUP list. pic.twitter.com/5hDBFEGksz

— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 16, 2021

Williams suffered the injury while working out at the Jets facility. The expectation was that he would be back for training camp and that he wouldn’t need to miss any time during the regular season because of the health-related setback.

The Jets will ramp Williams up instead of just throwing him into the fire right away. Taking the latter route could risk further injury and, therefore, additional time missed.

It’s unclear if Williams will play at all in the team’s final two preseason games. The Jets face Green Bay on the road this Saturday afternoon before playing the Eagles at home the following Friday.

If healthy, Williams will be a clearcut starter on the interior of the Jets defensive line within Robert Saleh/Jeff Ulbrich’s 4-3 scheme. The other starting defensive tackle spot could play host to a position battle ahead of the regular season. Fourth-year player Folorunso Fatukasi could indeed start there, but I wouldn’t be surprised if free-agent pickup Sheldon Rankins makes a case for why he should earn the job.