Avery Williamson is heading back to Denver. The veteran linebacker is signing with the Broncos, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). It’s uncertain whether Williamson is joining the practice squad or going straight to the active roster.
After splitting the 2020 season between the Steelers and Jets, it took Williamson until November to sign with the Broncos practice squad. He was granted his release a week later, and he ended up joining the Titans active roster. He got into two games during his second stint in Tennessee, but he only saw time on 22 special teams snaps. He was ultimately cut by the Titans last week.
Williamson spent the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee. During that time, Williamson started 59 of his 63 games, collecting 376 tackles and 11.5 sacks. The Jets gave Williamson a nice contract in 2018, signing the former fifth-round pick for three years and $22.5MM. The linebacker missed the 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL, and he split the 2020 campaign between New York and Pittsburgh. He ultimately saw time in 15 games (10 starts) last season, collecting 111 tackles and one sack.
The Broncos were presumably seeking some additional linebacker depth after trading Von Miller at the trade deadline, and they’ve also got six linebackers sitting on IR. Now, they’ll have another chance to get Williamson up to speed on their defense.
Well, they desperately need somebody to start inside. Williamson used to have great speed at that position before his injury, but in terms of available FAs, there aren’t many more proven options.
Williamson has the ability to wear the green dot in the defense if he learns it. Denver currently has a rookie doing that in Browning with not much else in terms of alternatives, so that should be a big advantage.