Milton Williams did briefly return after hurting his ankle in the first quarter of the New England Patriots game against the New York Jets on Thursday, but his comeback was short-lived. He eventually exited the game again and after having played only eight total snaps on the night was shut down by the team.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots announced that Williams had been downgraded to out.
The New England Patriots saw one of their best players go down on the opening drive of their Thursday night game against the New York Jets. Defensive tackle Milton Williams exited the contest after only six snaps and was later announced as questionable to return with a left ankle injury.
However, despite heading to the locker room, the 26-year-old eventually reemerged to join his teammates on the sideline later in the first quarter.
Filling his usual starting spot along the Patriots defensive front, Williams got banged up on a Justin Fields scramble to convert a 3rd-and-4 with 11:40 left in the first quarter. Fellow defender Christian Barmore got blocked into him, forcing the high-prized free agency pickup to remain on the ground.
Williams initially headed to the blue medical tent before heading back to the locker room for further evaluation. However, crisis mode was averted shortly thereafter.
The Patriots originally signed Williams in March to a four-year, $104 million contract. The former Philadelphia Eagles third-round draft pick started the first 10 games of the season, playing 65% of snaps and 27 tackles as well as 3.5 sacks.