Bringing Sheldon Richardson Into the Rotation

The New York Jets are expecting Sheldon Richardson to rejoin the team this coming Monday, after his suspension is up. They have not been informed by the NFL of any additional sentence, so it doesn't seem like there will be any issues relating to his arrest, at least not for now.

One thing that will be interesting to watch is how Todd Bowles works Richardson back into the defensive line. Obviously, Richardson is a star and a full-time starter, and he won't be replacing Muhammad Wilkerson. However, as Leonard Williams gets more snaps, he's likely to keep getting better and better. So you're risking slowing down his development by bringing in Richardson over him. At least in the beginning, as Richardson gets back into football shape, that won't be much of a concern. It's unlikely Richardson will come back and immediately be able to play a full game.

So one thing to keep an eye on is how they rotate the line. Will they put three defensive ends in Wilkerson, Richardson, and Williams on the line? Will they keep Damon Harrison out there? It seems likely that we'll see more 4-3 looks, just to get as much talent as you can out on the field. It's also going to be worth keeping an eye on how the run defense improves with Richardson's return, as they've somewhat struggled in that aspect thus far.

What do you think? How would you rotate the defensive line once Richardson returns?