In a season where they won three games and were outscored by 203 points, the 2025 New York Jets had countless issues.
The top headliners were horrendous quarterbacking, an interception allergy, and the lack of a 400-yard receiver.
But the team’s run defense should not get buried on the list of things that must be fixed for the Jets to become a competent football team in 2026.
While New York’s run defense was not quite as abysmal as the pass offense or pass defense, it was still subpar. The Jets ranked 25th in EPA (Expected Points Added) allowed per rush attempt, according to RBSDM Stats.
This offseason, though, the Jets completely overhauled their defense. It is likely that over half of their starting lineup will feature new faces.
There’s one thing that many of those new faces have in common: strong reputations against the run.
Pass-defense-wise, the Jets’ ceiling remains a major question. It will likely be their primary concern on the defensive side when the 2027 offseason rolls around. They still lack pass-rush depth and proven coverage skills across the back seven.
However, New York’s run defense suddenly has an elite ceiling.
Yes, elite.
As we scan the Jets’ defensive lineup position by position, it is shockingly impressive how much run-stopping talent they have accumulated. Following this offseason’s moves, there are very few holes in their run defense, at any level of the field.
Let’s break down the run-stopping chops of each unit on the Jets’ defense.
Defensive tackle
It can be argued that the defensive tackles play the most important role in any team’s run defense.
It also happens to be the position where New York is the most stacked with elite run stoppers.
Among the 113 defensive tackles to play at least 300 snaps last season, three of the top eight in Pro Football Focus’ run defense grade are currently rostered by the Jets:
- Quinnen Williams (91.7)
- Cameron Heyward (84.3)
- Travis Jones (82.8)
- T’Vondre Sweat (79.3)
- Poona Ford (78.7)
- Harrison Phillips (76.3)
- D.J. Jones (74.5)
- David Onyemata (74.2)
Harrison Phillips returns after a remarkable year of run-stuffing; his ability to swallow up runs at the point of attack was one of the few individual positives across the Jets’ entire defense.
To boot, the Jets have thrown T’Vondre Sweat and David Onyemata into the mix. Sweat, 25, is blossoming into one of the NFL’s best nose tackles entering Year 3 of his NFL career. He’s got a 366-pound frame and knows how to use it.
Meanwhile, Onyemata, 33, remains a high-quality run stopper as he prepares for his 11th NFL season.
On top of that, the Jets have Jowon Briggs. While Briggs stood out more as a pass rusher than a run defender in 2025, he has a reputation as a solid run defender.
When the Jets traded for Briggs last August, the expectation was that Briggs would step in as a situational run defender. In his 2024 rookie season with the Browns, Briggs earned a solid 66.5 run defense grade from PFF, placing 26th out of 173 defensive tackles (min. 100 snaps).
For most of his snaps with the Jets, Briggs’ role asked him to focus on pass rushing; he was thrust into Quinnen Williams’ shoes as New York’s top interior pass rusher after the big deadline trade. As a result, Briggs often played with a downhill, aggressive mentality, which led him to give up some plays in the run game; his run defense grade dropped to 55.4.
Still, that was an average-ish mark for the position, placing 57th out of 113 qualifiers. Coupled with his elite pass-rushing (his 85.6 pass-rush grade ranked fourth at the position), it made Briggs a stellar all-around player.
At least based on last season’s results, the Jets’ primary quartet on the defensive interior is set to feature three elite run defenders and one average-at-worst run defender. That’s about as good as you’ll find in the NFL right now.
Edge
This is probably the shakiest position in the Jets’ run defense, but the good news is they are trending toward league average after an utterly abysmal season in 2025.
The Jets’ weak edge-setting was arguably the primary culprit for their lowly run defense last season. Among 106 qualified edge rushers (min. 300 snaps), each of the Jets’ three qualifiers ranked outside the top 70 in PFF’s run defense grade: Micheal Clemons (77th), Jermaine Johnson (78th), and Will McDonald (105th).
McDonald is the only returning member of that group.
New York used free agency to shore up their edge-setting. They signed Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare to eight-figure salaries, significantly raising the floor in this area.
Ossai ranked 24th out of 106 qualifiers with a 70.7 run defense grade last season. Enagbare, a model of consistency as a role player, has averaged a 63.0 run defense grade over the last three seasons, which would have ranked 54th out of 106 qualifiers last season.
With Ossai and Enagbare aboard, the Jets can finally approach a run situation with two average-or-better edge setters on the field.
However, there are still two major question marks.
Firstly, McDonald remains in the fold. He has yet to squash the concerns about his run defense and his slim frame entering Year 4.
The good news is that Ossai and Enagbare’s presence could allow the Jets to reduce McDonald to a more pass-rush-centric role that keeps him out of run situations. McDonald won’t be able to completely avoid the run game, but the Jets can significantly reduce his snap count against the run by transferring some of his early-down and short-yardage snaps to Ossai and Enagbare.
Secondly, the Jets will be tasked with developing David Bailey in the run game. His pass-rush chops are special enough to warrant the second overall pick, but his run defense is undoubtedly concerning.
Bailey’s rookie-year snap count will likely be determined by the progress he displays as a run defender in training camp and the preseason. If Bailey proves he can be trusted in that phase (relative to his teammates), the Jets will likely make him an every-down player right away. If not, his role might be more situational.
Overall, the Jets are trending in the right direction here, even if they aren’t as strong as they are at other positions. Bailey and McDonald have low floors, but the Jets were smart to bring in the duo of Ossai and Enagbare to reduce pressure on Bailey and McDonald in the run game.
Linebacker
Despite being snubbed by NFL coaches and executives, Demario Davis remains one of the league’s best linebackers at 37 years old, especially in the run game.
In 2025, Davis tied for third among linebackers with 39 run stops, while placing fourth with an 88.9 run defense grade at PFF.
His partner in crime, Jamien Sherwood, is coming off a down year across the board. However, the good news is that Davis will be taking over green-dot responsibilities, allowing Sherwood to fly around more freely. The same dynamic helped set up Sherwood’s breakout year in 2024, when C.J. Mosley called the shots defensively.
Even with his struggles last year, Sherwood has still posted a run defense grade of 77.0 or better in each of the past four seasons. So, the floor is high. But numbers aside, the Jets and their fans know that Sherwood’s impact was far greater in 2024 than in 2025. As a younger, more athletic linebacker, he should benefit from handing the green dot back over to an experienced veteran and focusing on making plays.
The third linebacker spot is an issue, though. Between Francisco Mauigoa, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, and Mykal Walker, the Jets don’t have a proven answer here. This player will likely play at least 15-20% of the snaps each week, with a lean toward run plays (since they’d be on the field as part of the base defense), so it matters.
Walker quietly showed some positive signs late in the 2025 season. He was thrust into action for 136 defensive snaps from Weeks 14-18, and over that span, his 74.6 run defense grade ranked 10th among 74 qualified linebackers.
If Walker can win the third linebacker spot and maintain anything close to that production, the Jets could have one of the better run-stopping linebacker units in the NFL.
Cornerback
Even at corner, the Jets are loaded with physical, willing players who can provide reliable support on the outside.
Brandon Stephens has always been a solid run defender despite his woes in coverage. That didn’t change in 2025, as he posted a 75.7 run defense grade and ranked fourth among cornerbacks with 12 run stops.
Ranked one spot above Stephens in the latter category was Jarvis Brownlee Jr., whose 13 run stops placed third among cornerbacks—and he only played nine games. Brownlee also had a 78.2 run defense grade.
Brownlee had major coverage issues and was also extremely prone to penalties, so he will have to compete for his starting spot. But his physicality and run defense are so stellar that the Jets may have to get him on the field for certain packages that emphasize those traits.
Most likely, Brownlee’s competitor for the starting slot role will be second-round rookie D’Angelo Ponds, who was a dominant run defender in college. This past season, Ponds had an 86.0 run defense grade. He missed just one tackle against the run across 15 games.
Stephens and Brownlee are not the only top-four corners in run stops who are currently employed by the Jets. Nahshon Wright ranked second at the position with 14 run stops last season.
However, Wright can be boom-or-bust, as he also missed five tackles. He did force two fumbles as a run defender, though.
Wright will likely be competing for a starting spot against second-year man Azareye’h Thomas. The Florida State product is the lone corner in this competition who did not play well against the run last season. He had a 52.2 run defense grade, largely because he had more missed tackles against the run (3) than run stops (2).
Overall, though, the Jets should feel very confident in their cornerbacks’ ability to contain the outside run game. If Thomas develops in his second season, while Ponds translates his college skills to the pros, there won’t be a weak spot in this room.
Safety
Leading the pack is veteran star Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had an excellent 79.6 run defense grade last season.
Fitzpatrick won’t rack up a ton of stops, but he excels in his role as a last line of defense. In 2025, his average depth of tackle against the run was 13.7 yards downfield, the longest in the NFL. The fact that he had an excellent run defense grade while mostly making downfield tackles shows that he was making quality open-field stops to prevent home-run plays.
Based on the makeup of this unit, it seems likely that Fitzpatrick will play free safety for the Jets, which means the rest of the group will be competing for the strong safety role in Aaron Glenn’s defense, previously held by Brian Branch in Detroit. This player will have a more central role in the run defense, as he will be lining up in the box and filling critical gap assignments.
Fourth-round rookie Malachi Moore had a good debut season against the run, earning a 70.1 run defense grade and picking up 11 run stops (tied for 22nd among safeties). His development in coverage will be a major point of emphasis this summer (116.1 passer rating allowed in 2025), but as a run defender in the box, New York might have something in the Alabama product.
Veteran safety Andre Cisco has always been more of a deep player than a box player throughout his five-year NFL career, so his likeliest role might be as the direct backup to Fitzpatrick. Free agent pickup Dane Belton could be Moore’s primary competitor to start next to Fitzpatrick.
Like Moore, Belton is better known for his physicality and tackling than for his range, speed, and back-end coverage skills. He is a question mark in the passing game, but he earned a 70.7 run defense grade last season, while missing just four total tackles on 705 defensive snaps, so the Jets can trust him to finish plays.
The Jets’ safety unit will undoubtedly enter Week 1 with questions in the pass game, but no matter who starts next to Fitzpatrick, they should feel good about their run defense at this spot.
Overall outlook
Here’s a lineup that the Jets could throw out in a gotta-have-it run-stopping situation against heavy personnel.
- DT David Onyemata
- DT T’Vondre Sweat
- DT Harrison Phillips
- DE Jowon Briggs
- DE Joseph Ossai
- LB Demario Davis
- LB Jamien Sherwood
- CB Brandon Stephens
- CB Nahshon Wright
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick
- S Malachi Moore
How are teams going to run on that?
Of course, the obvious counter is that the opponent can just check into a pass and pick on any of the Jets’ DBs besides Fitzpatrick, all while throwing from a clean pocket against a weak lineup of pass rushers.
That’s the cat-and-mouse game of football. It’s why having a balance between the pass game and the run game is so critical on both sides.
Nonetheless, there is no denying that the Jets’ defense is absolutely stacked when looking solely at run-stopping production. No matter the situation, the Jets will be prepared to stuff any of the best ball-carriers in the league.
Even if the Jets throw out a traditional lineup that isn’t specifically catered to stopping the run, they will still have quality run defenders at most spots. Below, let’s say that the bolded/italicized players can be considered “elite” run defenders for their position, and the bolded players can be considered “good”.
- DT T’Vondre Sweat
- DT Jowon Briggs
- DE David Bailey
- DE Joseph Ossai
- LB Demario Davis
- LB Jamien Sherwood
- SCB D’Angelo Ponds
- CB Brandon Stephens
- CB Azareye’h Thomas
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick
- S Malachi Moore
That would still be a damn good lineup to stop the run.
What does it mean for the Jets’ ceiling?
Of the four main components of a football team, run defense is certainly the least exciting to fans. Run-stuffing defenders don’t sell season tickets.
But the value of run defense in today’s game cannot be overlooked; the 2025 playoffs just made that abundantly clear.
Run defense was the strongest attribute of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Based on EPA per play, they had the No. 1 rush defense, No. 5 pass defense, No. 8 pass offense, and No. 22 rush offense.
In fact, the Seahawks’ run defense was comically far ahead of the rest of the NFL. The gap between Seattle (-0.206) and second-ranked New Orleans (-0.136) was larger than the gap between New Orleans and 17th-ranked San Francisco (-0.069).
Seattle maintained that success in the playoffs, allowing a nearly identical -0.199 EPA per rush attempt across three postseason victories.
Folks, we quite literally just saw a team win a championship because of run defense above anything else. As boring as it might be relative to other methods of winning, it can be equally as effective.
For that reason, Jets fans have every right to be pumped up about the team’s potentially elite run defense.
It doesn’t mean the Jets will be an elite team, as they certainly don’t have as complete a roster as the Seahawks did last year. But it would be naive to pretend that a great run defense can’t move the needle.
