The New York Jets improved their defense in many different ways this offseason, but especially up front on the defensive line.
It was necessary after the unit ranked 31st in sacks last season (26) and allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game (139.5). Aaron Glenn and company hope this fresh season will put those shameful numbers to bed.
How many sacks will the Jets log in 2026 with their new-look front, and how will they be divided? Let’s dig into the various angles on that very question…
David Bailey
The Jets drafted David Bailey at No. 2 overall due to his pass-rush prowess. In 2025 at Texas Tech, he led the FBS with 14.5 sacks while his 81 pressures were only two behind Rueben Bain’s 83 for the top spot.
He also did it on a fair workload, logging 325 total pass rush snaps. It’s fair to assume he’ll have a similar workload as a Jets rookie.
Now, in no world should he be expected to put up the gaudy numbers he posted at Texas Tech last season in his rookie year, but he should certainly be a productive player immediately. He should be a top candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year and post anywhere from 7 to 10 sacks in Year 1.
Let’s say he logs 300 pass rush snaps as a baseline this year. In that case, we’ll give him 8 sacks, which would equate to a 2.7% sack rate. Fans expect him to rush the passer; that’s a given.
The most significant thing to monitor for him will be his improvement as a run defender, an area where he struggled last season.
For edge rushers, pass-rushing ability and run defense go hand in hand. If you are a liability against the run, your opportunities as a pass rusher are going to be limited and most likely not capable of being a three-down player.
Will McDonald
While Will McDonald’s production declined in 2025 following a breakout season the year prior, it wasn’t entirely his fault, and also a product of the team’s poor secondary play, as our Joe Blewett broke down.
Last year, he had eight sacks and 42 total pressures throughout 385 pass rush snaps, a decline from his 11 sacks and 61 total pressures in 2025. It’s also important to note, though, that six of his eight sacks came in two games (Week 1 and 10) while he went sackless in 13 matchups.
With a far-improved secondary entering 2026, it is expected that McDonald will have more opportunities to rush the passer. After logging 385 pass-rush snaps last season, following the Jets’ edge additions in free agency, I expect that number to drop down to the 350 range. Given that, we’ll say that McDonald gets 9.5 sacks this year.
Jowon Briggs
As our Michael Nania recently dissected, Jowon Briggs was a machine following the Quinnen Williams trade last season.
From Weeks 10-18, Briggs posted the following rankings among qualified defensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus:
- 7th in total pressures (29)
- 2nd in PFF pass-rush grade (89.4)
- 3rd in pass-rush win rate (19.4%)
- 6th in pressure rate (14.4%)
The only other two players over that range ranked within the top three in both PFF’s pass-rush grade and pass-rush win rate are Chris Jones and Jeffery Simmons, two players who have combined for 11 career Pro Bowl appearances.
While his four sacks and 38 pressures don’t jump off the page, the analytics suggest that Briggs will have a tremendous year in 2026. Especially when you consider that he will play all 17 games without Williams. Last year, he didn’t really get the opportunity to take off until Williams was dealt.
I predict he will play 410 pass rush snaps this season, a huge rise from his 320 last season, while logging 8.5 sacks, a huge leap that really solidifies him as one of the NFL’s top defensive tackles.
The rest of the pack
Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare, the two edge rushers Gang Green added in free agency, will significantly help the team improve against the run, but will also provide some juice from the pass-rushing aspect.
In each of the past two seasons, Ossai has logged five sacks on 375 pass-rushing snaps in 2025 and 349 in 2024. Expect him to take on a similar workload in 2025 and finish right around that 5.0 sack range.
As for Enagbare, he has also been consistent on that front, recording 8 sacks over the past 2 years (3.0 in 2025, 5.0 in 2024). I’d expect closer to 3.0 sacks in 2026, just like last year, on a similar snap count at 243 pass-rush snaps.
Beyond Ossai, Enagbare, McDonald, and Bailey, it remains unknown who the Jets’ final edge would be if they elect to go with five players at the position on their 53-man roster. Among those competing are Braiden McGregor, Eric Watts, Kingsley Jonathan, and Tyler Baron.
Darrell Jackson Jr., whom the Jets selected in the fourth round this year, is expected to play both inside and on the edge during his rookie season. That complicates his projected sack total. Also, he was up and down as a pass rusher at Florida State.
In 2024, his 12.2% pressure rate finished ninth among 401 qualified DTs, flashing his upside as a pass rusher before falling dramatically to 5.6% in 2025. Throughout his 50-career NCAA games, he totaled 7.5 sacks, including a career-high 3.5 in 2024 and 1.0 last season. We’ll say he generates 4.5 sacks in his rookie season, largely due to him being used off the edge from time to time.
T’Vondre Sweat has performed well analytically as a pass rusher, especially given his poor athletic testing and size at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds. However, his sack totals haven’t been particularly promising, totaling 3.0 in his two NFL seasons (1.0 in 2024, 2.0 in 2025). We’ll give him 2.0 sacks for these projections while expecting him to log a similar amount of the 200 pass-rush snaps he had last year.
Over the past two seasons, David Onyemata has tallied just 4.0 sacks. At this point in his career, he remains a stout run defender, but he is far from an ideal pass rusher. He had just one sack last season in 2025 on 325 pass-rush snaps. I envision him posting a 1.5 sack mark this year.
As for the Jets’ linebacker and defensive back room, we’ll say they combine for 4.0 total sacks this year. Jamien Sherwood and Demario Davis each have experience blitzing as linebackers. The same could be said about Dane Belton, who is expected to play strong safety for the Jets this year.
Aaron Glenn, entering his first year as the Jets’ defensive play caller, has also shown himself to be aggressive when it comes to blitzing linebackers and defensive backs.
Recap
- David Bailey: 8
- Will McDonald: 9.5
- Jowon Briggs: 8.5
- Joseph Ossai: 5.0
- Kingsley Enagbare: 3.0
- Darrell Jackson Jr.: 4.5
- T’Vondre Sweat: 2.0
- David Onyemata: 1.5
- Total LBs/DBs: 4.0
This totals 46 sacks, a significant increase over their 26-sack mark last season. That would have ranked seventh among teams last season. David Bailey must make an impact as a pass rusher immediately, while Will McDonald finds more consistency.
Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagabre will each provide the majority of their value as run-defenders, but can also contribute against the pass. Expect the Jets’ linebackers and defensive backs to blitz frequently this season, given Aaron Glenn’s history of play-calling.
