Once a possibility to replace Ryan Shazier, can Avery Williamson replicate Devin Bush on Steelers defense?
After Pro Bowl inside linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a career-ending spinal injury in December 2017, the Steelers scurried to find a free agent replacement for him in the 2018 offseason.
They tried to fill the void with veteran journeyman Jon Bostic, special teamers such as Tyler Matakevich and L.J. Fort, and hybrid safeties like former Green Bay Packer Morgan Burnett.
None of that worked.
Maybe the Steelers could’ve gotten away with a more direct replacement if they signed Tennessee Titans free agent Avery Williamson.
Williamson was rumored to be on the Pittsburgh radar at the time. Instead, he landed with the New York Jets for $22.5 million. By comparison, the Steelers tried to fill two holes for a lesser price against their tight cap with Burnett and Bostic for $18 million combined.
Williamson ended up having the best year of his career with the Jets in 2018, setting career highs with 80 solo tackles (120 overall), six tackles for loss and six passes defensed.
A preseason knee injury wiped out his 2019 season. And the entire 2020 campaign for the Jets has pretty much been wiped out as well thanks to putrid play on both sides of the ball.
So now the Steelers get another crack at incorporating Williamson into their defense to replace Devin Bush instead.They traded a 2022 fifth-rounder to New York for Williamson and a 2022 seventh-round pick. And Williamson is now coming to Pittsburgh at a much cheaper rate — the remaining $1.45 million of his 2020 base salary.
Bush was lost for the season thanks to a knee injury three games ago while playing against the Cleveland Browns.
Williamson is an unrestricted free agent after this year, so the Steelers can let him walk for nothing if it doesn’t work out.
Gary Phillips covers the Jets for Jets Wire. He joined me for Tuesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast to talk about the swap. He says Williamson isn’t quite as fast sideline to sideline as he was before the injury, but he still should be able to help the Steelers.
“Not quite as quick. Not quite as explosive. But still a quality player who can help a contender,” Phillips says. “Coverage has always been a little questionable for him. He’s always been more of a run stuffer. More of a guy you are going to want in running downs. But I wouldn’t call him a liability in coverage.”
This year, Williamson has 36 solo tackles, 59 overall. He also has an interception and two passes defensed.
Phillips also seems to think that Williamson has the football IQ to assimilate quickly with the Steelers defense.
“He’s a guy who can read the offense, who can relay the calls. He’s a smart football player,” Phillips said.
You can hear more from Phillips about how Williamson performed in this personal rebound season, while the team has sunk to the bottom of the NFL standings. Also, he describes the excitement Williamson had to get out to Pittsburgh as soon as possible, troubles in New York for head coach Adam Gase, and the all-too-quick Jets tenure of former Steeler Le’Veon Bell.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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