Do the New York Jets have an Isaiah Williams problem?

Williams is only 25 years old. It looked like the Jets might have found a great returner for the next several years. Then came this year.

It started off fine. On opening day against the Tennessee Titans Williams returned two punts for 29 yards and 14.5 yards per return. It looked like he was picking up right where he left off in 2025. Then came the Jets second game of the season against the Green Bay Packers. The game was played in a steady rain, making the conditions less than ideal to catch the ball. On Williams' first three punt returns he fumbled, returned a punt for two yards, then fumbled again and was called for an illegal fair catch signal penalty. All this happened in the first quarter of the game. It was a disastrous start to the game for Williams, though the Jets fortunately did not turn the ball over on either of the fumbles.

What has happened since for Williams has been somewhat concerning. In the first five quarters of football played by the Jets in 2026, the Jets' opponents punted 10 times and Williams returned five of them, including the two fumbles. That 50% return rate is right in line with his 2026 campaign, when Williams returned 28 of 57 punts.