Games are won in the trenches and fortunately for the Jets, they have one of the best players in the league among defensive tackles — the entire league, really — in Quinnen Williams.
Of course, Williams still needs some running mates and the Jets have some new faces in the mix. They did re-sign Solomon Thomas but gone are Sheldon Rankins and Nathan Shepherd while Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson are in on the interior.
On the edge, the Jets bring back just about everyone from last season and also added Iowa State’s Will McDonald in the first round of April’s draft to go along with Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Bryce Huff and more.
It’s a very veteran-laden group and one that ranks among the top half in the league in the eyes of Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus, who recently ranked the 32 defensive line groups.
Here’s what Buday had to say about the Jets, who checked in at No. 14 on his list:
The Jets are in a very similar situation to the Chiefs. Interior defender Quinnen Williams has emerged as one of the best players at his position over the last couple of years and earned the fourth-highest grade among interior defenders in 2022. But while multiple edge defenders on the Jets roster have flashed ability in the past, none have proven they can play consistently at a high level for an entire season.
Projected starter John Franklin-Myers earned a PFF grade over 80.0 in back-to-back seasons, but he played just 643 snaps last year.
The Jets have plenty of depth at the position and are hoping for breakout years from Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons in 2023. If things come together, the Jets will put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and should rise in these rankings next year.