The NFL preseason is all about discovering diamonds in the rough who can strengthen the back end of your depth chart. This year, it seems like the New York Jets have found quite a few of those at a position group where they value depth immensely: the defensive line.
The Jets closed out the preseason with an 8-sack performance against Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants. It was the culmination of a three-game preseason run in which the Jets allowed only 35 points, buoyed by the consistent pass-rush excellence of multiple players on the roster bubble.
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Two Jets players, in particular, finished the preseason ranked first in the NFL at their respective positions in the same metric – a metric the Jets emphasize heavily.
That metric? Pressure rate.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, edge rusher Takk McKinley finished the preseason with a pressure rate of 28.6%, ranked first in the NFL among players with at least 25 pass-rush snaps off the edge in the 2024 preseason. Based on NGS’s tracking, McKinley recorded 8 pressures on just 28 pass-rush snaps.
There is NOTHING you can do to stop Takk McKinley! #Jets pic.twitter.com/txxeflovgL
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) August 25, 2024
McKinley was not alone in his pressure-applying dominance. Rookie defensive tackle Leonard Taylor finished with a pressure rate of 20.0%, ranked first in the NFL among players with at least 25 pass-rush snaps from the interior in the 2024 preseason. NGS tallied Taylor with 9 pressures on 45 pass-rush snaps.
3 sacks and a TFL for Leonard Taylor, who continues to show athleticism that fits very well in this #Jets scheme.
Will be hard not to include him on the 53 pic.twitter.com/5M194kn00f
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) August 25, 2024
Under Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich, defensive line depth has been incredibly important to the Jets. They love to rotate their defensive linemen so they can always have fresh rushers on the field, allowing everyone to go full-throttle on each snap. To operate this scheme successfully, you need to have strong depth. McKinley and Taylor seem capable of providing that.
Pressure rate is an important metric because it indicates a player’s consistency as a pass rusher. It is simply the percentage of a player’s pass-rush snaps in which they recorded a sack, hit, or hurry. By looking at the percentage of a player’s pass-rush snaps in which they generated pressure of any kind, you get an idea of how consistently they make an impact.
While sacks are the ultimate prize, they are not the only way a pass rusher can affect the game. Hits and hurries influence the quarterback into making poor decisions or inaccurate throws, and in some cases, they tee up sacks for teammates. All forms of pressure must be factored in when evaluating a player’s pass rushing.
If you only look at sacks, you ignore a player’s impact (or lack thereof) on the rest of his plays. This is why McKinley and Taylor deserve credit for their consistency at generating pressure across the full three-game run, not just their sack party against the Giants. While it is great that McKinley and Taylor finished their reps with sacks against the Giants, they were getting into the backfield across all three games, and that’s what matters.
Yes, it was against weak competition in the preseason. Nonetheless, considering how dominant McKinley and Taylor looked against preseason competition, there is a good chance that they are capable of providing at least respectable production against regular season competition – and that is all you should realistically hope for from your sixth edge rusher or fifth defensive tackle.
In the coming days, we will see if the Jets agree.
