The New York Jets’ short-yardage run game received plenty of attention in 2024. Breece Hall struggled to convert in these situations, but the Jets continued to rely on him as their goal-line back despite Braelon Allen clearly being a better fit for the role. The Jets lost multiple games due to their inability to punch in a goal-line touchdown.
However, the offensive fiasco diverted attention from the mirror-image conundrum on the other side of the ball.
New York’s defense struggled just as much in short-yardage situations as the offense. It is one of the main reasons why the Jets ranked 20th in rush defense DVOA despite placing sixth-best in yards per rush attempt allowed. While the Jets did a solid job of limiting breakaway runs (helping to limit opponent YPC), they frequently allowed conversions in key situations, explaining why the overall efficiency of their run defense was subpar.
The Jets allowed their opponents to convert on 76.9% of their rush attempts with two or fewer yards to go, which ranked second-worst in the NFL. Only the 4-13 Jacksonville Jaguars performed worse (78.3%). The league-average conversion rate in this situation was 68%.
New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks will be tasked with coaching this defensive line to stand taller in short-yardage situations. It will be quite a challenge for the veteran coach, though, as the Jets did not add any reinforcements who will assuredly help solve the problem.
Do the Jets have the talent to shore up their short-yardage run defense?
The best potential solution on New York’s roster is Derrick Nnadi.
The 6-foot-1, 317-pound run-stuffing specialist spent six of the past seven seasons as a starting defensive tackle for the Chiefs. A total non-factor as a pass rusher (1 QB hit over his last 51 games), Nnadi is in the NFL for the precise reason of clogging interior rush lanes.
However, Nnadi’s production has dwindled since a strong start to his career. He has been graded as one of the NFL’s worst run defenders in each of the past three seasons. His individual decline correlated with Kansas City’s success in short-yardage situations. From 2022-24, the Chiefs allowed a league-worst 73.7% conversion rate on rush attempts with two or fewer yards to go.
Kansas City demoted Nnadi to the smallest role of his career in 2024 (career-low 221 snaps). The NFL revealed how it feels about Nnadi through its valuation of him on the 2025 free agent market, as he could only fetch a one-year, $1.4 million deal with $417.5K guaranteed.
Wilks and defensive line coach Eric Washington will attempt to coach Nnadi back to his peak form as a quality gap-plugger on the inside. If they can pull it off, the Jets will have the answer to their interior run defense that the previous regime could never locate.
Other potential solutions on the unit include Byron Cowart and Leonard Taylor III. Cowart offers solid strength for the position and the ability to play nose tackle on a hefty percentage of his snaps. Taylor is an explosive athlete who needs to work on his gap discipline, but he is capable of making big stops in the backfield.
It’s not just the defensive tackles, though. The Jets need more from their edge rushers.
Without Jermaine Johnson for most of 2024, the Jets struggled to find answers for their edge-setting. Johnson is expected to return in time for the season opener, but it remains to be seen how he will perform after his Achilles injury.
Will McDonald is a major work in progress as a run defender, although he could improve in 2025 after adding strength and weight in the offseason. Micheal Clemons has the ideal frame to be an excellent edge setter, but his lack of mobility and poor play recognition have made him a liability against the run. Opponents loved targeting Clemons on QB keepers, as he bit hard on play fakes and lacked the quickness to recover.
Eric Watts has the ability to provide decent run defense on the edge. The problem, though, is that Watts has yet to show that he can make any sort of impact in the passing game, so it will be hard for him to get on the field very often. But if it is a short-yardage situation, especially at the goal line, he could be useful.
New York’s defensive line must be sturdier in short-yardage situations if it wishes to return to its previous heights as one of the league’s best units. If that improvement happens, though, it has to come from individual development across the roster. The Jets did not make any additions to this unit that were substantial enough to instantly improve the run defense.
In an ideal world, the following things will occur:
- Johnson returns to peak form
- Nnadi returns to above-average run defense
- The Jets get at least one other player at each of DT and EDGE to step up and provide average run defense
If the first two pan out, the Jets can put a solid three-man anchor on the field to stop the run at any point: Quinnen Williams, Nnadi, and Johnson. That should be enough to stuff short-yardage runs at a solid rate, regardless of who fills out the unit.
The third point, though, is arguably the most critical. The Jets will need reliable depth to consistently stuff short-yardage runs for 17 games. Injuries are bound to happen, so if they only have one lineup’s worth of capable run-stuffers, they will fall apart as soon as someone goes down.
On the interior, the best candidate to step up is Cowart. On the edge, it could be anyone, whether it’s McDonald breaking out, Clemons refining his fundamentals, or Watts building on his rookie season.
Keep as close an eye on the Jets’ short-yardage defense as you do on their short-yardage offense.