FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will miss one to two weeks with a strained left calf, coach Aaron Glenn said Friday.
The injured occurred Thursday during positional drills, causing Williams to miss the remainder of practice. He didn’t practice on Friday.
Glenn described the down time as “precautionary. We want to make sure this player is going to be good. We know what he’s all about. We know what he can do. And listen, we want to hold him out and we’ll see how that goes.”
Williams, 27, is one of the best players on the Jets’ defense. He made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023, then made it again in 2024 as an injury replacement. He signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension before the 2023 season.
Williams missed one game in 2022 with the same injury, so “he understands exactly how you have to operate and make sure he goes through the process of getting healed. He’ll be just fine,” added Glenn.
The Jets need a healthy Williams for the regular season because depth is a concern at defensive tackle. Without him, their top interior linemen are Byron Cowart and Jay Tufele, free-agent additions on one-year contracts. They played last season with the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. They also have former Kansas City Chiefs starter Derrick Nnadi, another free-agent acquisition on a one-year deal.
They’re down two starters on the defensive line, as end Jermaine Johnson continues to work his way back from Achilles’ surgery. Currently on the physically-unable-to-perform list, Johnson is expected to be ready for Week 1.
Left guard John Simpson (back) will miss one to two weeks, Glenn said. Rookie safety Malachi Moore (strained oblique), a fourth-round pick from Alabama, is expected to miss multiple weeks.
