Leonard Williams: 'I'm trusting the process' as Jets rebuild

Leonard Williams is taking a page out of the Philadelphia 76ers' book as he prepares for what could be a long rebuilding process for the New York Jets.

After Jets owner Woody Johnson admitted wins may be hard to come by for the foreseeable future, the former sixth overall pick is keeping an open mind and staying faithful to his team's vision.

"I'm trusting the process," Williams said Wednesday, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "We have a new GM and a new head coach. They want their specific guys here. There were a lot of guys here before they got here that they didn't necessarily draft or you didn't know if they wanted them here or not. ... I think I'm just kind of moving on."

The Jets are lacking a clear-cut leader at quarterback, rid their roster of several key veterans this offseason, and are reportedly shopping troubled defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson.

After making his first Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2016, the 22-year-old Williams sees himself as a leader in the Jets' new era, and hopes to return to the event in 2017.

"I'm going to try to make it back again, but not be an alternate," Williams said. "I'm trying to get at least 10-plus (sacks) and try to keep elevating my game more and more.

"Outside of that, I just want to step up more into my leadership role. We have a lot of younger guys on the team now. … We kind of lost some of our older guys. Now I'm stepping up into my role and trying to be more of a leader now."