Will McDonald was one of the New York Jets’ most scrutinized players in their woeful 2025 season.
A 2023 first-round pick, McDonald played a situational role in his rookie year before breaking out in the 2024 season. McDonald had 10.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits, 61 total pressures, two forced fumbles, and three pass deflections in an excellent pass-rushing campaign.
The 2025 season saw McDonald decline in all of those categories (although he played two fewer games). McDonald dropped to 8.0 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, 42 total pressures, no forced fumbles, and no pass deflections. Half of those sacks came in one game against a lowly Browns offensive line.
It felt as if McDonald often disappeared. He did not record a sack in 11 of his 15 games, and he recorded under 3.6 pressures (his 2024 season average) in 11 of his 15 games as well.
But was McDonald’s pass-rush decline really his fault?
Remember, McDonald was playing in front of a secondary so poor that it failed to record a single interception. Did the lack of time afforded by the secondary contribute to McDonald’s diminished production? What about the lack of surrounding help on the defensive line?
And how about McDonald’s run defense? Is he as bad in that phase as some people claim? Did he show any progress in Year 3?
In the latest edition of Blewett’s Blitz, we answer all of those questions in a film breakdown of McDonald’s 2025 season.
Below is the full Will McDonald film review.
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