Avery Williamson left Titans because of reduced role

Avery Williamson left the Tennessee Titans for New York because he was ‘definitely’ offended by his role being reduced in the 2017 season.

Avery Williamson has been solid since being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2014. The Titans took Williamson in the fifth round. As a rookie, he played well enough to impress the Titans and became a fan-favorite.

However, in 2017, he had a significantly reduced role in Tennessee. Let’s look at the numbers so you can see how significant it was. According to CBS Sports, in his rookie season, Williamson played 81 percent of defensive snaps in Tennessee.

Because he was impressive in his rookie season, that percentage jumped to 93 percent in his second season. The Titans received a bit more talent on defense, so it dropped from 93 percent to 83 percent in his third. Not bad, right? Well, in 2017, it dropped to 60 percent.

Although there are a number of reasons why that could have dropped so significantly, the most logical reason is Williamson’s mediocre covering skills. Titans defensive coordinator at the time, Dick Lebeau, felt it was better to have him on the field when they are gearing to stop the run, which took him off the field on a handful of downs.

A not-so-thrilled Williamson made it clear when asked why his role reduced, speaking to the NY Daily News.

"“I don’t know man. It was a weird situation. …They didn’t want me to play certain downs. … I was definitely offended by that all last year.”"

Because of the mediocre covering skills, Williamson had some mixed opinions during free agency from fans and analyst alike. When addressing if the Titans should re-sign him to a new contract, they had differing answers. Some said his lack of ability to cover tight ends left the Titans defense exposed too many times.

I can see that, as the Titans had trouble covering tight ends like Jack Doyle on the Indianapolis Colts. That helped Andrew Luck torment their defense for several years.

The other side of the argument is he has been consistent for the Titans. He is a great run-stopper and a fierce linebacker that has helped the Titans win some games. I was on that side of the argument, but I still kept my mind open to the other side as it was also true.

Did Mike Mularkey know of the issue, but swept it under the rug?

Did Mike Mularkey‘s crew know that he was offended? We did know that there was slight drama among the Titans last season. For example, when Titans receiver Rishard Matthews mentioned he would like Marcus Mariota calling the shots on offense, but Mularkey insisted on letting offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie control the offense.

Mularkey’s crew may not have handled things very well towards the end of their time in Tennessee. However, we do not know if Williamson took the issue to his coaches or not. It is likely that he knew free agency loomed and was planning on leaving anyway.

The lack of playing time and the probable lack of will to play for Tennessee anymore did have an effect on his stats. Williamson had 52 tackles in 2017, which was his lowest amount since his rookie season (51). However, he started in all 16 games for the second season in a row.

Next: 4 breakout stars for the Titans in 2018

He declined the Titans’ offers in free agency during the offseason. He eventually landed with the New York Jets on a hefty three-year, $22.5 million contract. Williamson is looking past that situation, and said he feels he fits in “perfectly” with the Jets defense.