A Former Titans Linebacker Goes From Worst to First

A former member of the Tennessee Titans defense got more than just a change of scenery Monday. He got a change of perspective.

The winless New York Jets (0-8) traded inside linebacker Avery Williamson to the NFL’s only unbeaten team, the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0). The Steelers also got a 2022 seventh-round pick in the deal, and the Jets got a 2022 fifth-round choice in return.

The move comes a day before the NFL's trade deadline.

Williamson, 28, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

A seventh-year veteran, he has been to the playoffs just once. That was in 2017, his final season with the Titans when they upset Kansas City in the wild card round and lost to New England in the divisional round. With Pittsburgh, he joins a team that is off to the best start in franchise history and would have to endure an epic collapse to miss out on the postseason.

The Jets are the only team that has yet to win a game this season. Their defense is 26th in the NFL in yards per game allowed (398.9) and 28th in points per game allowed (29.8). Pittsburgh is fifth in yards per game allowed (310.7) and tied for sixth in points per game allowed (20.3).

In seven games (six starts) this season, Williamson has recorded 59 tackles with three passes defensed and one interception.

Steel City 🙌🏽😎
— Avery Williamson (@AWilliamson54) November 2, 2020

Tennessee chose Williamson, a native of Milan, Tenn., in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He became a starter during his rookie season and led the team in tackles twice (2015, 2016).

He signed with the Jets as a free agent in 2018 and started every game for them that season. A knee injury caused him to sit out all of 2019.

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