One of the New York Jets’ two waiver claims was linebacker Trevin Wallace.

Linebacker was a spot on the team’s depth chart where they needed to add some stability beyond Jamien Sherwood and Demario Davis. Wallace accomplishes that, but why did the Jets target him in particular?

Speaking to the media, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn addressed why the organization chose to pick up Wallace.

“He started a number of games. I think he was a third-round draft pick, so, man, coming out, we had him highly graded, too. We were kind of surprised that he was released,” he said.

“When you can just start to get good players on your team, and I’ve said this many times, me and Moug (Darren Mougey) are going to look at every option that we can to get this roster to where we want it, so he gets a chance to come in and compete. He already knows nothing’s promised; you have to earn your keep around here, and he understands that, but good player, good speed.”

Wallace, 23, was waived by the Carolina Panthers as part of Carolina’s final cuts. He didn’t win his training camp battle with veteran Claudin Cherelus for the Panthers’ second starting linebacker spot.

Given his struggles to secure the role, the Panthers signed veteran Bobby Okereke, which left Wallace on the outside looking in and eventually on the waiver wire, but not for long.

As Glenn emphasized, Wallace has a solid amount of starting experience. In two NFL seasons, the 23-year-old has played in 25 games (20 starts) while collecting 125 total tackles (72 solo, 7.0 for loss), 3.0 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Wallace’s main issues come against the run, where his 43.3 run-defense grade at Pro Football Focus for the 2025 season ranked 85th among 88 qualified linebackers. Furthermore, his 2.0% run-stop rate was the lowest mark among qualified LBs.

Most intriguing is his athleticism. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 237 pounds, Wallace posted a 9.33 RAS (Relative Athletic Score), including a 4.51 40-yard dash and a 37.5-inch vertical.

That has allowed him to flash as a blitzer. Three of his 10 career pressures have been sacks, showing his ability to finish with his speed and explosiveness. To boot, he has logged two QB hits, which means half of his 10 pressures have resulted in the opposing QB being on the ground. For context, the 2025 league average for linebackers was 34.5%.

While he will have to earn his role, as Glenn alluded to, there is no question that Wallace could potentially emerge this season as the team’s LB3.