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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterOct 18, 2024, 03:11 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
Wide receiver Davante Adams, who missed his final three games with the Las Vegas Raiders because of a hamstring injury, has recovered and will have a full workload for the New York Jets on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maybe the cool New Jersey air provided certain healing powers he didn’t have in Las Vegas. Whatever the case, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich confirmed that Adams — whose trade request was granted Tuesday — will play a significant role for the Jets (2-4), who have dropped three straight games.
“We didn’t know what to expect with him coming here,” Ulbrich said Friday. “Obviously he’d been listed on the injury report with the hamstring, so we had to make an assessment once he got here, and he’s looked fantastic.”
In a mild surprise, wide receiver Mike Williams will be active for the game, Ulbrich said. His status appeared to be up in the air after he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday for a personal reason. He attended practice Thursday but stayed off to the side even though he is healthy.
Neither Williams nor Ulbrich divulged the reason for the two-day respite. Williams had been called out by quarterback Aaron Rodgers for running the wrong route on the game-clinching interception in Monday night’s 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The next day, the Jets traded for Adams, meaning a reduced role for Williams, who is now the subject of trade rumors.
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On Friday, Williams sidestepped a question on whether he wants to be traded.
“I’m where my feet at,” he said. “That’s the main thing for me. I came here for a reason. I’m here. I’m excited for this weekend … and to play on Sunday.”
Williams indicated that Rodgers initiated a one-on-one meeting to discuss the situation from Monday night. The former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver didn’t elaborate on their conversation but insisted he wasn’t upset by how he was singled out by his quarterback.
“I just have to be on the red line,” Williams said with a smile, referencing the line painted on practice fields to train receivers not to fade their vertical routes too close to the sideline.
Rodgers said Williams should have stayed on the imaginary line Monday instead of breaking off his route. It’s unusual for a quarterback to criticize a teammate like that; Rodgers said he was just giving an honest answer to a specific question.
Asked about his on-field chemistry with Rodgers, Williams said, “We’re definitely still building.”
Williams probably will be the WR4, behind Adams, Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard. Williams said he was “excited” to have Adams on the team. Wilson shared that sentiment, saying Adams was “one of my favorite players” growing up.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to learn a lot, and hopefully we can get this thing rolling and start winning games, ultimately,” Wilson told ESPN.
Asked if he was worried about losing targets, Wilson, the most-targeted player in the NFL, said, “Nah, at the end of the day, if I do lose a few targets, that’s fine. I got 22 the other day [in Week 5]. It don’t take that many to get where I want to get.”
Meanwhile, Adams, who didn’t play or practice the past three weeks with the Raiders, was a full participant every day this week and has no injury designation for Sunday.
The Jets have big expectations for Adams.
“He’s 31 or 32, whatever his age is, but you would never know,” Ulbrich said. “He looks just as explosive and fast, and [we’re] so excited to get him integrated into this offense.
“Obviously, it’s not as much of the learning curve that a typical guy would have. For one, he’s experienced. Two, he’s familiar with the offense. Three, his relationship with Aaron is just obviously next-level. So I’m excited to get him going.”
ESPN’s Tim Keown contributed to this report.
