The New York Jets’ building blocks are highly underrated across the NFL.
Pundits are justifiably skeptical about projecting a massive leap for the perpetually unlucky Jets, especially because they still lack proven high-quality options at quarterback and head coach. However, the roster is littered with up-and-coming young players.
Among those, one of the most talented is third-year defensive tackle Jowon Briggs.
The former Brown’s rapid ascension in 2025 was a shock, as he was chosen in the seventh round just a year earlier. The Jets acquired him for a sixth-for-seventh pick swap, and after a breakout season, he is now viewed as one of the best seventh-round picks in football.
Pro Football Focus named Briggs as one of the three interior defensive linemen on their All-Seventh-Round Team.
“Briggs is less heralded with just 721 career snaps across time with the Browns in 2024 and Jets in 2025, two teams that both went 3-14. But the 24-year-old has shown major promise. His 85.6 PFF pass-rushing grade from last season led the Jets by more than 14 grading points. Briggs’ 12.7% pressure rate was also among the top in the league for interior rushers, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Quinnen Williams and Chris Jones.”
As PFF notes, Briggs developed into an elite interior pass rusher in 2025. His production exploded after the Jets traded Quinnen Williams mid-season, yielding an expanded role for the Cincinnati product.
From Weeks 10-18, Briggs ranked second among defensive tackles in PFF’s pass-rush grade (89.4), third in pass-rush win rate (19.4%), sixth in pressure rate (14.4%), and seventh in total pressures (29).
This all came from a guy who was primarily known as a strong run-stuffer when the Jets acquired him.
Going into 2026, Briggs has one of the highest ceilings on the Jets’ roster.
And the Jets acquired him by swapping a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick.
Briggs was retained by the Jets on an exclusive rights free agent tender, which means he will have a $1.075 million cap hit in 2026. After the year, he will become a restricted free agent.
That gives the Jets control over Briggs into 2027, where they could potentially keep him on a relatively cheap tender for yet another season.
However, given GM Darren Mougey’s proactive approach to contract extensions, it seems likely that Briggs can play his way into a long-term deal if he builds on his finish to the 2025 season. Perhaps the Jets would even sign him mid-season; Mougey signed two players to mid-season extensions in 2025, Jeremy Ruckert and Josh Myers.
For now, Briggs remains one of the best values not just on the Jets, but across the entire NFL, both in terms of the capital it took to acquire him and the cap hit he is due to have in 2026.
Given his seventh-round status, he is also one of the most inspiring player-development stories in the league.
