Jets’ defensive front looks loaded after impressive preseason opener

It’s only one preseason game, but the Jets’ defensive line showed tremendous promise — and depth — in Saturday’s 12-7 win over the Giants.

The unit wracked up five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, a few batted passes, a recovered fumble and a safety. Almost every player contributed in some way, as well. Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers and Sheldon Rankins added pressure against some of Big Blue’s starting linemen, while Gang Green’s reserves tallied the sacks. Bryce Huff led the team with two, while Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Jonathan Marshall and Michael Dwumfour all record at least half of a sack.

“The defensive line, they were relentless,” Saleh said. “They missed some opportunities, especially on that touchdown. You’ve got to keep them pinned back in that situation. But it was awesome to see them come back and win the game with that safety.”

The passing touchdown Saleh referenced, which came midway through the fourth quarter, was the only major blemish on an otherwise stellar performance from the Jets’ D-line on Saturday night. The only other time the Giants sniffed the red zone, linebacker Hamsah Nasirildeen popped the ball loose for a Jets fumble recovery.

The Giants passing offense totaled just 92 gross yards through the air on 8-23 attempts. The Jets didn’t allow a passing touchdown until the fourth quarter. After the sacks, the defense gave up just 58 net passing yards, the first time the Jets held a preseason opponent to less than 60 net passing yards since they held the Bills to just 51 yards in Week 1 of the 1970 preseason, per the team website.

This is exactly how Saleh needs his defense to perform every week. It’s not good enough to have one dominating player on the line; everyone needs to play their role effectively for the entire group to succeed. This is how the 49ers dominated offensive lines under Saleh’s leadership for years and it appears the Jets are headed in that direction as well.

C.J. Mosley watched all of it unfold firsthand from his spot in the middle of the defense. The linebacker’s observations reflected what Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich hope to replicate in the regular season.

“We’re fast, that’s one thing I can say,” Mosley said after the game. “Our explosive D-line is going to get after it … We’re going to make you try to run the ball on us because if you don’t it’s going to be a long day for the quarterback.”

Don’t forget, this performance unfolded without defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who is still recovering from offseason foot surgery. Williams is arguably the Jets’ most important defensive player, and his presence on the line will only make this unit more deadly at the point of attack.

There is still a lot of work to do for this Jets team to be competitive and win games consistently. But after one exhibition match, the line at least appears as good as advertised and deep enough to create chaos at the line of scrimmage.

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