Were NY Jets disrespected in PFF’s linebacker rankings?

The NFL analytics website Pro Football Focus dropped its ranking of all 32 linebacker units entering the 2025 season. New York Jets fans might be a little frustrated with their team’s placement.

Anchored by the starting duo of Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams, the Jets’ linebacker unit placed ninth on PFF’s rankings.

These were the top 10 units.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (Projected starters: Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean)
2. Detroit Lions (Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone)
3. New England Patriots (Robert Spillane, Jahlani Tavai)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal)
5. Washington Commanders (Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (Devin Lloyd, Foyesade Oluokun)
7. San Francisco 49ers (Fred Warner, Dee Winters)
8. New Orleans Saints (Demario Davis, Pete Werner)
9. New York Jets (Jamien Sherwood, Quincy Williams)
10. Minnesota Vikings (Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr.)

While it’s nice to see the Jets ranked in the top 10, New York could make a strong case for a higher spot on the list. Williams was a first-team All-Pro in 2023, and while he took a step back in 2024, Sherwood made up for it with a breakout season of his own, leading the NFL in solo tackles.

Were the Jets placed too low? Too high? Or just right?

Let’s take a look at some numbers to find out.

2024 NFL Linebacker Rankings

While PFF’s ranking is designed to rank units based on where they stand entering the 2025 season, it can be helpful to understand how all 32 units performed in the 2024 season.

We can start by looking at PFF’s signature stat, its overall grading system.

The Jets’ linebackers combined for a cumulative PFF grade of 71.0. That ranked fourth-best in the NFL:

1. Philadelphia Eagles (83.1)
2. Washington Commanders (77.4)
3. San Francisco 49ers (71.7)
4. New York Jets (71.0)
5. Cleveland Browns (70.2)
6. Kansas City Chiefs (69.1)
7. New Orleans Saints (67.2)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (66.7)
9. Atlanta Falcons (66.6)
10. Detroit Lions (66.4)

How can the Jets have the ninth-best linebacker unit in the NFL when PFF’s own grading system had them fourth-best a year ago, especially with both starters returning?

It is justifiable for PFF to rank Philadelphia, Washington, and San Francisco above New York, but the Jets fared better than the other five teams that PFF ranked above them: Kansas City (6th), New Orleans (7th), Detroit (10th), Jacksonville (11th), and New England (27th).

Given their linebacker unit’s 27th-ranked performance a year ago, the Patriots (who placed third in PFF’s rankings) are the most surprising choice to place above New York. Yes, the Patriots signed Robert Spillane to a $33 million deal, but Spillane’s 68.4 PFF grade from a year ago shouldn’t be enough to elevate them into a top-3 linebacker unit after their abysmal performance in 2024.

PFF’s article seemed to overvalue teams with big names at the forefront of the unit while undervaluing the Jets’ stability between both starting linebacker spots. The fact that the Jets have two high-quality starters is what sets their linebacker unit apart as a legitimate top-five group.

Based on PFF’s grading system, neither Sherwood nor Williams was among the absolute best linebackers in the NFL last season; Sherwood’s 73.8 grade ranked 10th out of 64 qualified linebackers (min. 500 snaps), while Williams’ 68.0 grade ranked 23rd. However, the Jets were one of only four teams with two qualified linebackers who posted a grade of 68.0+, joining the Eagles, Saints, and Jaguars.

There are certainly some warts in Sherwood and Williams’ games. They combined for 34 missed tackles last season and failed to record an interception. Their ceiling is capped below that of star-studded units like those of the Eagles, Commanders, and 49ers, who have game-altering stars in Zack Baun, Bobby Wagner, and Fred Warner.

However, when it comes to roaming sideline-to-sideline and making timely stops, Sherwood and Williams have established themselves as one of the most prolific tandems in the league. In 2024, Williams ranked third among linebackers with 60 defensive stops while Sherwood was right behind him with 59 stops. Their combined total of 119 defensive stops ranked second among linebacker duos behind Philadelphia’s pairing of Baun and Nakobe Dean (125).

Just one season earlier, Williams led linebackers with 80 stops, nine more than any other player. Sherwood was still a backup at that point, but he was already showing the potential to be a high-level starter, as he managed to rack up 10 stops on a limited sample size of 194 snaps. That’s a stop rate of 5.2%, which foreshadowed the similar 5.5% rate he would post as a starter in 2024 (59 stops on 1,063 snaps).

The Jets do not have the best linebacker duo in the NFL, but a top-four distinction is warranted. A ninth-ranked placement brushes aside the incredible production accumulated by Sherwood and Williams over the last two seasons.