It may have happened anyway, but Leonard Williams’ absence, with what coach Adam Gase called an “irritation in his hip,” merely sped up the process.
So there was Quinnen Williams, the heavily hyped rookie who is called “Big Baby” by his Jets teammates, working with the starters the past two days and getting a chance to flash his immense potential.
There was Williams knifing between center Jonotthan Harrison and guard Brian Winters for a would-be sack of Sam Darnold, showing the quick first step that led the Jets to draft him third overall.
There was Williams, helping the first-team defense get a push up front, getting the better of the offense the past two days and receiving rave reviews from his older teammates.