Quincy Williams already has had several different chapters in his NFL career.
He began it as a third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2019.
When Jacksonville cut him, the Jets picked up him as a waiver claim in 2021.
He then blossomed into a starting linebacker for the Jets and an All-Pro in 2023.
Now, he’s beginning a new chapter.
Williams has a new coaching staff, with head coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks taking over the Jets.
Williams spent 90 minutes on the phone with Glenn when he was hired, and the new coach gave Williams areas to improve.
“Coach challenged me at the beginning,” Williams said this week. “When he first got the job, he gave me a call. We had an hour-and-a-half conversation just on his vision and also me getting his vision to the players and stuff so we were all on the same page. And then, he challenged me with a couple of things to work on this offseason and then to show it during the season.”
Like nearly every Jets defensive starter, it felt like Williams took a step back last season.
He still had 116 tackles and four forced fumbles, but he did not have the same impact he had in 2023.
Glenn did not reveal in what areas he challenged Williams, but he said Williams has accepted the challenge.
“I told Quincy when he first came and met with me, there are some things that I want him to work on,” Glenn said, “and he is doing everything he can to get better at those things. Listen, I don’t lie to players, and he’s a really good player, but there’s also some things that he’s got to get better at, and he understands that.”
Glenn said the way Williams reacted to his critiques showed him the linebacker gets it.
“That just goes to show you the sign of a really, really good player because they’re OK with criticism, and in this league, even the best players get criticized, but they want to be, too, because they want to be better,” Glenn said. “And he’s one of those guys that wants to be better. I pulled him in my office, told him some things he’s got to work on. He knows the things he’s good at, and the things he’s got to work on, he’s doing everything he can to get better at those things.”
As crazy as it sounds, Williams is now one of the older players on the Jets after they pushed out many veterans.
He will be 29 years old in August and is entering the final year of his contract.
Williams said he is working on becoming more of a leader as part of his areas of improvement.
“The first part of it is the one I’m working on right now, being a leader on the team and then also being a part of the foundation of the team, No. 1,” Williams said. “No. 2 was really just getting the defense down pat to become that person where I can look at the offense and worry about what the offense is doing and not more of what are we doing or where I fit into a defense.”
During Williams’ first four years with the Jets, the leader on defense was fellow linebacker C.J. Mosley.
The Jets cut Mosley this offseason, and now Williams will have to fill the void left by his departure.
Williams has been asking Mosley for advice.
“C.J. came to my camp this weekend, so we had a conversation,” Williams said. “Also, he’s still in New Jersey, so we’ve grabbed lunch a couple of times. Right now, it’s the mindset of picking his brain on how to be more of a leader. When he came to the Jets, to a new team, he actually sat out a year. So it was like, ‘What are the things that you worked on to come to a team that you really didn’t know? How did you become a leader to those guys?’ ”
