Aaron Glenn has made it clear he will be a head coach for all Jets units. But the defense, the side of the ball that he played on and then coached and coordinated, will be an obvious focal point for him and new coordinator Steve Wilks.
And Glenn will see some things he'd like to work on. For starters, on third-down conversions, the Jets were 16th in the NFL in conversion rate allowed while Glenn's Detroit D was first. The Jets scuffled to seven interceptions, tied for 26th, while the Lions' 16 picks were tied for 6th. And for the past four seasons, Detroit totaled 87 takeaways to the Jets' 74.
Then in two-minute defense, Detroit was tied for first in allowing 32 points in the final two minutes of halves this past season while the Jets' 62 points allowed were tied for 17th. The late scores allowed at New England, vs. Indianapolis and at Miami all produced fall-from-ahead losses for the Green & White.
It will be interesting to see how the run defense develops. In 2023, Glenn with Detroit and Wilks as San Francisco's DC both had top-5 run defenses. Last year the Lions were good per game but not as strong per carry while the Jets, despite some issues that had them middle of the pack per game the last two years, improved to sixth in yards/carry.
All that aside, Glenn and his staff, in advance of free agency and the draft, know they have inherited a defensive foundation that potentially can bring pass rush heat, make tackles all over the field, and provide blanket coverage, all at high levels.
Front Four — Quinnen Williams, among the NFL's top interior D-linemen, has 23.5 sacks, 66 QB hits and three Pro Bowls the past three seasons. Will McDonald IV led the team with 10.5 sacks and 24 hits in his second Jets season. And Jermaine Johnson, primed for a productive third season after his Pro Bowl berth the year before, is eager to rejoin the action after losing most of 2024 to an Achilles injury in Game 2. Micheal Clemons started 17 contests and established a career high with 4.5 sacks.
The interior spot next to Williams likely will need attention. Steady vet Solomon Thomas, big body Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu, who lost virtually all of the season to injuries, can become free agents.
Experienced youth is available as undrafted free agent rookies Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor on the outside and Leonard Taylor III on the inside all saw action.
Linebackers — This could be a transition year in the middle of the unit. Defensive captain C.J. Mosley in his 10th season, played only four games and 110 defensive snaps due to a neck injury. Jamien Sherwood ably replaced Mosley in the middle, tying for fourth in the NFL with 154 tackles, but he can become an unrestricted free agent.
Quincy Williams didn't rake in the accolades that he did in '23 (first-team All-Pro from AP, Curtis Martin Team MVP) but he was still a force alongside Sherwood, unofficially ringing up 23 tackles for loss/no gain, the most by a Jets defender in the last 30 seasons, and registering 100-plus tackles for the fourth straight campaign.
Edge LB Haason Reddick, who began playing in Game 8, can become a free agent. Backups Chazz Surratt and Sam Eguavoen were special teams mainstays. Eguavoen can also enter the UFA market.
Secondary — CB Sauce Gardner is the big name here, but he's coming off a season (one interception, nine pass defenses) that didn't match his first two Jets Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro years. It's to be determined if Gardner will team on the corners with D.J. Reed (team-leading 11 PDs) for the fourth season after Reed has said he wants to test the free agency waters.
Michael Carter II remains a strong slot corner but was troubled last season by back problems. Brandin Echols and Isaiah Oliver, each of whom averaged 25-plus defensive snaps/game, and Kendall Sheffield can all become free agents. Qwan'tez Stiggers, the CFL product who got his first NFL start in the win at Jacksonville, is eager to show he can start more games for the Jets, as is Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
Safety could need rebuilding. Tony Adams, who led all DBs with 82 tackles, is set to return. But three others who registered starts in the deep middle — Chuck Clark, Jalen Mills and Ashtyn Davis (not to mention the versatile Oliver) — can enter free agency. Undrafted rookie Jarius Monroe impressed with his approach when he saw action in the second half of the schedule.
