This offseason, the New York Jets have made a flurry of additions on defense in an effort to rebuild one of the league’s weakest units from last season.
A move the team made just ahead of free agency was acquiring second-round defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat in exchange for Jermaine Johnson in a player-for-player swap.
Speaking on CBS Sports’ “Offseason Playbook,” with hosts Logan Ryan, Leger Douzable, and Ashley Nicole Moss, Sweat’s former teammate and four-time Pro Bowler, Jeffery Simmons, lauded the Texas product’s ability.
“It was a surprise to me,” Simmons said. “Just trying to get a feel for why. I feel like Sweat still has some potential that sometimes he doesn’t understand. For me, that’s the reason why I’m like Sweat, you’re coming down to Dallas with me this offseason. I wanted to pull that out of him [Sweat] to be able to be like I have so much potential. I can be the best nose tackle in football. And he has the potential to do that. I hate it, but it’s a business.”
In 2025, Sweat logged an 83.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked fifth among 134 qualified DTs. He also logged 34 combo tackles (16 solo, 4 for loss), three quarterback hits, and a pass deflection throughout 12 appearances.
Despite poor athletic testing and standing at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds, Sweat can also contribute as a pass rusher. Among 97 qualified defensive tackles last season with at least 200 pass-rush snaps, he ranked 16th in PFF’s pass rush grade (74.1), 36th in pressure rate (9%), and 40th in pass-rush win rate (9.4%).
While defending the run is his bread and butter, Sweat is also far from a non-starter in the pass-rushing game.
If Sweat continues to steadily improve in his third NFL season, this could prove to be one of the most rewarding trades for Darren Mougey and the Jets.
