The New York Jets are finalizing a contract with former Cleveland Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams to be the defensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase. Williams was the top target from the beginning of the search, no matter the head coach:
Jets finalizing deal with former Browns’ interim HC Gregg Williams to become their defensive coordinator, per source. Williams was the defensive coordinator the Jets were targeting no matter who their HC was; they got their man.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 15, 2019
Williams took over the Browns' coaching gig after Hue Jackson was fired midseason. The 60-year-old finished the season 5-3 to give Cleveland a 7-8-1 final record. He had been the defensive coordinator prior to that.
Williams has had a well-traveled NFL career. His began his NFL journey with the Houston Oilers in 1990 and got his first defensive coordinator gig in 1997. He got a shot to be a head coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2001, but he only lasted three seasons and went 17-31.
Since that failed head coaching stint, Williams held jobs with the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans and then the Rams again before heading to Cleveland in 2017.
The Jets struggled to a 4-12 record this season, resulting in the firing of head coach Todd Bowles and subsequent hiring of Gase. New York had one of the worst defenses in the league, ranking 29th in scoring defense and 25th in overall defense. The Jets will be counting on Gregg Williams to turn things around on that side of the field.
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