Isaiah Williams was one of the bright spots for the New York Jets in a very disappointing year in 2025. He was signed by the Jets in week 2, and played 15 games as the Jets’ primary punt returner and secondary kick returner. As a punt returner Williams excelled, returning 28 punts for a total of 396 yards, two touchdowns and a sparkling 14.1 yards per punt return. There isn’t much to cheer about on the Jets in 2025, but Williams is certainly one.
Williams is only 25 years old. It looks like the Jets have found a great running back for the next few years. Then came this year.
It started well. On opening day against the Tennessee Titans, Williams returned two punts for 29 yards and 14.5 yards per return. It looks like he’ll pick up where he left off in 2025. Then comes the Jets’ second game of the season against the Green Bay Packers. The game was played in a steady rain, making the conditions for catching the ball inferior. 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, but luckily the Jets didn’t turn the ball over on any of the fumbles.
What has happened since then for Williams is a bit troubling. In the first five quarters of football played by the Jets in 2026, Jets opponents punted 10 times and Williams returned five of them, including two fumbles. The 50% return rate is in line with his 2026 campaign, when Williams returned 28 of 57 punts.
In the seven quarters of football the Jets have played since Williams’ fumble, Jets opponents have punted five times. Williams never returned any of them. This is a small sample, so we shouldn’t read too much into it. However, it seems to me that he’s been a bit gun shy since the mess. That’s a subjective opinion. Maybe others see it differently. But there are other aspects of Williams’ performance so far that raise questions.
In 2025, Williams is 6th among punt returners with 16+ returns with 14.1 yards per return. In 2026, he was 20th among punt returners with 3+ returns with a paltry 6.2 yards per return.
As of 2025, Williams is 13th in the NFL with 13 fair catches. In 2026 he ranks 1st in the NFL with two.
In 2025, Williams was 5th in the NFL in punt returns with 28. In 2026, he was 12th with five.
In 2025, Williams had zero return fumbles. In 2026 he was the only NFL returner with multiple fumbles.
In 2025, Williams returned 48+% of opponents’ punts. In 2026 he returned 33+%, and 0% after his two fumbles.
Again, the 2026 numbers represent a small sample, too small to draw any definitive conclusions. However, the numbers should raise at least a little concern.
Are the Jets in trouble with Isaiah Williams? It’s too early to tell, but it’s probably not too early for it to be on the Jets’ radar. If Williams doesn’t pick up his performance as a returner soon, the Jets have another option. His name is Jamaal Pritchett, and it’s probably not entirely a coincidence that the Jets signed him off the practice squad last week. If Williams doesn’t snap out of his early season funk soon, we could see Pritchett get a shot at the punt returner role.