C.J. Mosley isn’t walking through the door anymore. The New York Jets have a question mark about who will lead the defense in 2025.
Luckily for them, Mosley’s heir apparent seems more than up to the task.
Since the Jets selected him as a Day 3 draft pick in 2021, safety-turned-linebacker Jamien Sherwood has improved every year he’s been in the league. His athleticism and coverage ability allow him to stand out at a position that has been devalued over the last few years.
Now a $15 million man (per year), Sherwood is taking over Mosley’s old role as a vocal leader on defense — and that means setting some lofty goals for the unit in 2025.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Sherwood was honest about the main areas where the Jets struggled defensively in 2024 and how they can improve.
Jets’ defensive changes
Last season, Sherwood had a career year on paper. The Auburn product set career highs in tackles, sacks, and passes defended. The team, however, endured its worst stretch of defensive play in years.
Poor tackling, schematic breakdowns, and an avalanche of penalties all sank the unit in key metrics and were a big part of New York’s five-win struggles.
It’s the last of those three things that Sherwood highlighted as one of the primary takeaways from the unit’s 2024 woes.
“Obviously, (we want) to be better than we were last year,” Sherwood said before practice on Wednesday. “One of our biggest takeaways from last year was that we weren’t good at penalties pre- and post-snap.”
Not being “good” with penalties would be an understatement for Sherwood’s defense. New York has been the most penalized team in football in each of the last two seasons. That includes an NFL-worst 60 defensive penalties in 2024, yielding 588 yards.
Sherwood has goals beyond reducing penalty yardage. He believes if he can help the team improve in key situations — particularly late in games or in two-minute scenarios — the Jets will be much better in 2025.
New management, particularly head coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, have emphasized preparing the defense for those late-game situations.
Just a few weeks ago, the Jets held a players-only practice where the offensive plays were called by Justin Fields, and the defensive plays were called by Sherwood.
That kind of practice can go a long way in improving both the team’s discipline and chemistry.
“I just feel those player-led practices are where we can come together as a team,” Sherwood said. “We can just go out there and play that much faster.”
Improving situationally will be a tall order for this Jets defense. With Sherwood leading the way, though, the organization is confident it can get the group back to its elite standing.
“He’s a really good communicator,” Glenn said of Sherwood at league meetings after extending the linebacker to a three-year deal in the offseason. “You watch him on tape and the way he talks and reacts to all the players around him, and the way the players react to him, lets you know he’s a true QB of the defense.
“We want to make sure we have that on defense, so getting him was critical for us to continue to build this defense.”
Mosley’s departure cast a shadow on the Jets’ defense heading into 2025 — one Sherwood seems more than ready to step into.
