Leonard Williams Will Not Return vs. Chargers with Back Injury

New York Jets defensive end Leonard Williams suffered a back injury during Sunday's home game against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium and won't return.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News provided the update.

Williams finished the 2016 season with 68 combined tackles and seven sacks. In May, Pro Football Focus' Brett Whitefield ranked the third-year lineman as the best flex interior defender under age 25.

"Williams recorded seven or more pressures from five different alignment techniques along the defensive front for the Jets, which made up 44 of his 55 total QB pressures," Whitefield wrote. "Williams has been especially good defending the run, and was the only player to come within five total defensive stops of the Giants' Damon Harrison among all interior defenders in 2016."

He entered Sunday's contest with 45 combined tackles, two sacks and an interception in 14 games this season.

While Williams is one of the Jets' best defensive players, his absence is unlikely to make much of a difference for the team.

New York parted ways with a number of veterans in the offseason, including Eric Decker, Sheldon Richardson and David Harris. The franchise is clearly focused on the long term, even if it means having one of the NFL's worst rosters in the short term, as their 5-9 record shows.

Even when he's healthy, Williams can only do so much to help a Jets team that's out of playoff contention.