The Jets have agreed to terms on a contract extension with veteran DL John Franklin-Myers.
Franklin-Myers, 25, a 6-4, 288-pound Stephen F. Austin product who is in his fourth professional campaign, has recorded sacks in three of four games this season. In the Jets' Week 4 win over the Titans, he became one of 10 players this season with eight QB pressures in a game.
"There's been times in his career where he majored as an outside rusher, there's times in his career where he was primarily an inside rusher," defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of Franklin-Myers in September. "I think the best way to utilize his skillset is a little bit of both, and that's what we're trying to feature with him. When he has an opportunity to do a little bit of both, he's very dynamic in that way, because he's got maybe a little bit more power than a traditional edge guy, so he can overwhelm a tackle in some ways. But then he's got more speed and quickness, change of direction than some of the insiders, so he can be a mismatch for guards, too. So I think the more we can utilize and the more we can take advantage of his versatility, the better. I would anticipate him having a really good year for us, a career year for himself."
Originally a waiver claims from the Rams in 2019, Franklin-Myers has played in 19 games for the Jets and collected 6 sacks and 31 tackles.
"I like this defense because we're just going to hit somebody," JFM said this season. "Sometimes in the NFL a lot of defenses have you playing gaps. In this defense you just run in a straight line and hit somebody. For each and every play, we know what blocks we're getting and it makes it easier to set the edge, run straight through this dude and knock him back."
Among players with at least 250 pass rushing snaps from an interior defensive line position, Franklin-Myers' 11.7% QB pressure rate ranks sixth in the league. He is also among the top 10 players in interior pressure percentage, joining Rams DT Aaron Donald as the only two of the 10 with at least 10 QB pressures when rushing from an edge position.
Entering their Week 5 game with the Atlanta Falcons in London, the Jets defense ranks No. 3 in the NFL on third down (28.6%), fourth in the red zone (35.3 %) and seventh in yards per play (5.11). They also place in the top five in sacks with 13 and are tied for sixth in QB hits with 27. The Jets lead the NFL in run stuffs (rushes for zero or negative yards) with 23.
In 35 regular-season games, Franklin-Myers, a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2018, has 8 sacks, 3 FR and 2 FF.
