As NFL teams reveal their identity over the first few games of a new season, snap-count trends are among the most important things to monitor.

For the New York Jets in Week 1, it was odd to see defensive tackle Jowon Briggs play just 10 snaps after such a promising 2025 season, one that saw him emerge among the league’s most productive interior pass rushers.

However, in Sunday’s Week 2 loss, Briggs’ snap count increased dramatically, and he showed exactly why he deserved it.

Briggs’ increased role in Week 2

After playing just 10 snaps in Week 1, Briggs played 35 snaps against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, which equated to 59.3% of the Jets’ total defensive snaps.

He earned the Jets’ highest defensive grade from Pro Football Focus in Week 2 (86.2), generating two pressures and a sack while forcing a fumble. Aside from a missed tackle in the run game near Green Bay’s goal line, Briggs looked very solid.

Moving forward, Briggs should handle a similar snap count.

After their offseason additions, the Jets’ defensive tackle room is much more competitive than it was a year ago. The team added two established run-stopping DTs in David Onyemata and T’Vondre Sweat.

Onyemata, Sweat, and the returning Harrison Phillips are known for their run-stuffing ability, each finishing 2025 in the top eight for PFF’s run-defense grade. Briggs, though, remains the unit’s highest-ceiling pass rusher, so it makes sense for the Jets to have him on the field for at least half of their defensive plays.

Onyemata exited Sunday’s game early due to a groin injury, which contributed to Briggs’ uptick in snaps. Either way, his outing proved that he should certainly be playing more than 10 snaps per game and be featured prominently in the team’s DT rotation.

Here is a look at how the Jets divvied up their DT snaps in Week 2 aside from Briggs:

  • Jowon Briggs: 35 (59.3%)
  • T’Vondre Sweat: 33 (55.9%)
  • Harrison Phillips: 32 (54.2%)
  • Darrell Jackson Jr: 13 (22%)
  • David Onyemata: 13 (22%)

The biggest wild card is Onyemata. In Week 1, he played 70% of the Jets’ 50 defensive snaps and looked very solid. He left early in Week 2, though.

Sweat played 55.9% of snaps compared to 30% the week prior, marking a notable uptick. As we broke down ahead of kickoff, Sweat’s presence was going to play a huge role in Sunday’s game.

It’s important to keep in mind that Sweat missed a fair amount of the summer due to a hamstring injury, which could help explain why he didn’t play many snaps (15, 30%) in Week 1. Also, the Tennessee Titans never had a lead, so they had to throw the ball a lot, and Sweat’s usage will lean toward run situations.

While Briggs’ run defense is a question mark after a mediocre performance in that area during the 2025 season, his pass-rush advantage over the Jets’ other defensive tackles is not even close.

From Weeks 10-18, after Quinnen Williams trade, here is where Briggs ranked among defensive tackles in various pass-rush metrics:

  • 2nd in PFF pass-rush grade (89.4)
  • 3rd in pass-rush win rate (19.4%)
  • 6th in pressure rate (14.4%)
  • 7th in total pressures (29)

Keep in mind, Briggs generated that output as a 24-year-old. It was also his first full season in the NFL, after he played just six games during his rookie campaign in 2024, since he spent most of the year on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad.

Meanwhile, the trio of Onyemata, Sweat, and Phillips combined for just six quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks over 49 starts in 2025.

That’s why Briggs needs to be heavily involved. The Jets’ best interior pass-rusher has to be on the field more often than not, particularly when they need to create havoc without sending the house. His forced fumble on Sunday came with a three-man rush.

Obviously, if he is a liability against the run, he won’t be an every-down player, but using him in passing situations and pairing him with a stronger run defender on early downs is a viable strategy. His pass-rushing ability and long-term ceiling are worth investing snaps in.

Once Onyemata returns, we will see what Briggs’ role looks like. What we can say, though, is that Briggs made the most of the opportunity when he was out there, showing the Jets why he deserves an expanded role.