Through his first three years in the NFL, Avery Williamson was almost always on the field. He played 81 percent of the Tennessee Titans' defensive snaps as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus, then played 93 percent of the snaps during his second season and 83 percent during his third year. Last season, though, Williamson saw his snap-share take a significant dip. 

He played just 60 percent of the Titans' defensive snaps in 2017, owing to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's insistence that Williamson is primarily a run defender and thus needs to be taken off the field for some passing-down snaps. Williamson did not take kindly to that idea, telling the New York Daily News that he was "offended" by his reduced role. 

"I don't know, man," Williamson said, when asked why it happened. "It was a weird situation. ... Honestly, I don't know. But they didn't want me to play certain downs. ... I was definitely offended by that all last year. Like I said, it wasn't my decision. Now I'm here and I'm definitely going to get the opportunity. So, I'm glad to be a part of this. It gives me extra fuel to continue to improve my game and become better than I was last year."

The Jets paid Williamson handsomely this offseason, handing him a three-year, $22.5 million contract to replace the departed Demario Davis in the middle of their defense. That contract makes Williamson one of the highest-paid inside linebackers in football, with the 10th-highest average annual salary at the position. 

Everyone ahead of him on that list would surely be considered a three-down player, and Williamson considers himself one as well. 

"It's motivation," Williamson said. "There's always going to be somebody's that's going to put news out there about you and say that you can't do this or that. So, I prove them wrong. That's the point: I know I'm a three-down backer. I know I got the skill set to do anything on the field. Shoot, I feel like I fit in perfectly with this defense."