New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey knew he needed to acquire more reinforcements at defensive tackle before the start of the 2025 season.

Just a week before the start of the season, New York acquired Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in a pair of trades. Phillips had long been considered one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in the game. Briggs was a second-year phenom on the Cleveland Browns in 2024.

At first glance, the move to acquire Phillips was seen as a no-brainer for the Jets. Briggs was just an added bonus.

Through two games, though, the two players’ numbers have flipped. It’s left Briggs looking like the best performer in the Jets’ defensive tackle room outside of Quinnen Williams.

Jowon Briggs impresses Jets

Through two games, Briggs has recorded a sack, a forced fumble, and six tackles. He has been one of the more consistent players on the Jets’ defense through two games, despite the 0-2 start.

Pro Football Focus has graded Briggs’ start as the sixth-best among interior defensive linemen in the league, giving him an 81.6 grade. He is also tied for fifth at the position with five defensive stops.

As Briggs continues his first season with Gang Green, head coach Aaron Glenn has goals he wants to see the 24-year-old accomplish.

“He did have a pretty good game, but now we want consistency behind that,” Glenn said. “We’re looking for him, that’s one of the reasons we got him, because we thought he was a good player. Good size, good leverage, he’s strong, he’s tough, so we’re looking for him to be consistent on a game-to-game basis, and for him to be able to do that, it all starts in practice.

“That’s the one thing I do like about coaching that player is he understands how we practice, and he looks forward to the competition every day in practice like we do.”

The Jets have struggled to find consistency at the defensive tackle position next to Quinnen Williams. If Briggs can find the consistency Glenn is looking for out of him, the Jets may have a long-term solution moving forward. That alone, could fundamentally change the organization’s outlook throughout the upcoming year.