At 2-4, things have been far from perfect for the New York Jets this season.
But not all of it is on the Jets’ personnel. Many coaching shortcomings have led to just two wins in six games.
At the same time, several players have failed to live up to expectations, and one player who fits that description is defensive tackle Jowon Briggs.
Is it fair to say that the DT has underperformed so far, after a breakout campaign in 2025?
Is Briggs falling off?
Briggs was one of the Jets’ few stunningly positive developments in 2025. After the Jets acquired him in August for a late-round pick swap, he emerged as a high-level interior pass rusher.
From start to finish, Briggs was dominant, but he reached an even higher level once Quinnen Williams was traded at the deadline and more snaps opened up.
Six weeks into this season, though, he hasn’t replicated that same level of pass-rushing success. Here is how he stacks up in some notable metrics among 126 qualified DTs (minimum 50 pass-rush snaps):
- PFF pass-rushing grade: 63.2 (61st)
- Pressures: 8 (52nd)
- Sacks: 2 (13th)
- Pass-rush productivity: 5.4 (42nd)
- Pass rush win-rate: 6.5% (78th)
Now, compare that to last season. From Weeks 10-18, after Williams was dealt, here is where Briggs ranked among DTs in similar metrics:
- 7th in total pressures (29)
- 2nd in PFF pass-rush grade (89.4)
- 3rd in pass-rush win rate (19.4%)
- 6th in pressure rate (14.4%)
Obviously, that’s a pretty substantial drop-off. However, I think some important context is missing when talking about expectations for Briggs.
Remember, he was acquired around cutdown day last year in exchange for a late-round pick swap. He had played six NFL games before the Jets acquired him for negligible draft capital.
I also think that same level of context matters when discussing his numbers this season. His playing time has been all over the map.
In Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, he played just 10 defensive snaps, which was pretty surprising considering how well he played down the stretch last season.
Things changed quickly, though, as Briggs played 35 snaps against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, followed by 45 against the Detroit Lions and 56 against the Chicago Bears. His snap share rose from 20% in the opener to 59%, 69%, and 60% in Weeks 2-4.
When he received the initial uptick against the Packers, Briggs looked solid, generating two pressures, a sack, and a forced fumble.
However, the consistency just hasn’t been there. His playing time has also continued to fluctuate over the past two weeks, playing 22 snaps against the Cleveland Browns before it climbed back up to 35 against the New England Patriots last Sunday. Overall, he has played 203 defensive snaps, which is 50.3% of the Jets’ total.
All in all, that’s not a pretty notable role. He played 52% of the Jets’ defensive snaps last season. The rotation has fluctuated from week to week, but his overall usage is very similar to last season.
It would be great, of course, to see Briggs consistently play at the level he finished the 2025 season, but that’s a pretty lofty expectation. The pass-rushing tools are there, but expecting him to rank among the top pass-rushing DTs over a 17-game sample size may not be feasible.
And guess what? That’s okay. Briggs has already dramatically outplayed expectations since the Jets acquired him, and there is no doubt he should be considered a valuable rotational piece. He just has lacked consistency this season.
Beyond pass rushing, Briggs must find the field more consistently to improve his run defense. At Pro Football Focus, he currently owns a 39.3 run-defense grade, ranking 113th among 129 qualified interior defensive linemen, a substantial dip from his already uninspiring 55.4 mark last year.
The Jets can’t have him leading the rotation in snaps if he is struggling to defend the run. He has the pass-rushing chops, but developing the run-stopping side of his game will be valuable. The good news? The former Cleveland Brown is still just in his second full NFL season, after playing only six games during his rookie campaign.
So at the end of the day, Briggs hasn’t picked up where he left off a season ago, but that was going to be a tall task anyway. That doesn’t excuse all of his woes, though, and there is certainly room for improvement, even if he doesn’t reach those heights again.
