The New York Jets were so dominant in Week 1 that it was impossible to give the proper credit to every player who deserved it.

First, you had to give the offensive linemen their flowers. Then, of course, Geno Smith needed his props. Don’t forget about the weapons who delivered for him, including Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Keyon Sadiq. Even Omar Cooper Jr., who exited with an injury in the first quarter, was a standout despite limited reps.

That’s before getting to the defense. The coverage took center stage, with the cornerback trio shutting down Tennessee’s wideouts, while Will McDonald was constantly in the backfield. Demario Davis and T’Vondre Sweat anchored a stingy run defense.

Oh, there was the special teams, too, which carried over its 2025 dominance.

Amidst all of that success, there was one veteran Jets player whose sneakily crucial performance flew under the radar: 33-year-old defensive tackle David Onyemata.

Onyemata makes his presence felt

During a successful pass-rushing game for the Jets’ defensive front, Onyemata led the Jets’ interior defensive line with three total pressures—as many as the rest of New York’s defensive tackles combined. Onyemata’s three pressures tied him for 11th among NFL defensive tackles in Week 1.

His pressures were impactful, too, rather than being mere clean-ups. The quality of Onyemata’s pass-rush performance is reflected by his 69.3 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 13th among the 48 defensive tackles with at least 20 pass-rush snaps in Week 1, and third among all Jets defenders (trailing Will McDonald and Kingsley Enagbare).

Onyemata’s emergence as a pass rusher was a somewhat surprising development for the Jets, as the 11th-year veteran was signed primarily for his run defense.

In 2025 for the Atlanta Falcons, Onyemata was an excellent run defender, ranking eighth among defensive tackles with a 74.0 run defense grade from PFF. His pass-rush impact was minimal, though, as he finished the year with 1.0 sack, two quarterback hits, and 21 total pressures in 17 starts.

In fact, Onyemata’s three-pressure performance in Week 1 was better than 16 of his 17 games last season. He only matched or exceeded that mark once, a Week 6 game against the Bills in which he recorded four pressures.

Onyemata’s unexpected pass-rush production was much-needed for the Jets, though, as they are looking for new sources of interior pass-rush production after burying Jowon Briggs on their depth chart.

Briggs is the highest-ceiling pass-rushing defensive tackle on the Jets’ roster after his breakout 2025 season. Each of the other core four DTs—Onyemata, Harrison Phillips, and T’Vondre Sweat—are run-centric players with capped-out pass-rush ceilings. Briggs had more sacks and quarterback hits in 2025 on his own (4.0 and 10) than those three players combined (3.5 and 6).

Yet, the team has surprisingly elected to push Briggs down to the fourth spot in their defensive tackle rotation. He played just 20% of the snaps in Week 1, his lowest mark as a Jet.

With Briggs in the background, the Jets need someone else to step up and fill the pass-rushing void. Onyemata was able to pull it off in Week 1.

Time will tell whether Onyemata can maintain this level of pass-rush production, but his season-opening performance was certainly deserving a shoutout.

Onyemata recorded some quality pass-rush reps, making a sneaky impact on the game.

Play 1

In the first quarter, Onyemata beats both the right tackle and the running back to force Cam Ward into a checkdown.

Play 2

Later in the first, Onyemata bursts into the backfield as a stunt penetrator to lay a crushing hit on Ward.

Play 3

As the Titans open a third-quarter drive in desperate need of a response to the Jets taking a 17-3 lead, Onyemata forces a throwaway with instant pressure.

Keep an eye on No. 93’s pass rushing throughout the season. If Jowon Briggs remains in the back end of the Jets’ rotation, the Jets will need more of this from Onyemata.