When the New York Jets signed Jamien Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million extension in the 2025 offseason, most fans found it hard to criticize the move, and rightfully so.

The linebacker was coming off a breakout 2024 season, when he ranked among the NFL’s top linebackers in several key categories. However, his play regressed sharply in 2025, and three games into 2026, that slump has continued.

At this point, it’s fair to even question Sherwood’s playability.

Assessing Sherwood’s rough start to the year

Entering the year, there were multiple reasons to hope that Sherwood could bounce back.

First off, the overall situation seemed improved. The team was a mess in 2025. Most players on the team either regressed or stayed on par, with Sherwood falling into the former category. Every returning player deserved the chance for a fresh start with the revamped coaching staff and roster.

Then came Demario Davis, which would take pressure off Sherwood’s shoulders. Sherwood was asked to wear the green dot for a full season in 2025, the first time assuming those duties in his career. That comes with a lot of added responsibility. But with Davis taking over the green dot, Sherwood would have a chance to play more freely.

The results haven’t followed, though.

In three games, Sherwood has graded out as Pro Football Focus‘ 66th-ranked linebacker among 71 qualifiers. Much of that is due to his struggles in coverage. Sherwood has been credited with allowing 13 of his 16 targets to be completed for 149 yards (fourth-most among LBs) and a touchdown.

Right now, the outlook isn’t very pretty for the sixth-year linebacker. Not only has he struggled to show signs of a rebounding season, but he has also been one of the worst linebackers in the league, at least by PFF’s grading system.

Making the situation more difficult for the Jets is that they don’t have any reliable options to pivot to at the position. Entering the year, linebacker was already one of the more unproven spots on the Jets’ depth chart. There’s Davis, who remains a game-wrecker, but after that, there were the hopes of a Sherwood bounce-back and a bunch of unestablished depth pieces.

Mykal Walker, who was the most established among the Jets’ backup LBs this summer, especially after an excellent end to the 2025 season, got hurt before roster cuts and was placed on season-ending injured reserve before being released with an injury settlement.

Kiko Mauigoa and Marcelino McCrary-Ball are also both dealing with injuries, and McCrary-Ball has been placed on IR. That leaves the Jets with two current healthy depth options behind Davis and Sherwood: Trevin Wallace, whom the Jets claimed off waivers after cutdown day, and Troy Reeder.

Reeder is an eighth-year veteran with 38 starts; however, he has primarily been a special teamer. He has been effective for the Jets in that phase, leading the team with four special teams tackles this year.

Wallace, on the other hand, is an intriguing piece. The 2024 third-round pick is very athletic while possessing a 6-foot-1, 237-pound frame. At 24, Wallace has played in 25 games, including 20 starts, recording 125 combo tackles (72 solo, 7.0 for loss), 3.0 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

If the Jets want to reduce Sherwood’s snap count, Wallace would make the most sense as a replacement. However, Aaron Glenn can also get creative without asking Wallace to fully take over Sherwood’s workload.

Whether fans like it or not, Sherwood is still going to play. The question is, at this rate, how often?

Our own Omari Brown proposed an interesting idea: the Jets could experiment more with three-safety looks while playing Dane Belton more at LB. With Minkah Fitzpatrick’s return, that possibility could certainly be in play for the Jets.

This will be a test for Glenn. His defense has been playing well, but he can’t afford to keep trotting out a player like Sherwood at this rate. It’ll be intriguing to see whether he recognizes the struggles and finds a way around them.

Sherwood was benched early last season for undisclosed reasons, which raised a lot of questions. While he was performing poorly, he was still the defensive captain, and it wasn’t even midway through the season.

He isn’t a captain this year, and there is a reasonable case for benching him again, even sooner than a season ago.