Jon Gruden couldn’t help but gush over the New York Jets after their Week 5 defensive eruption, and he did it with the kind of flair Jets fans are going to eat up.
On his Gruden Family Football Show this week, the longtime NFL coach broke down the unit that piled up eight sacks, batted away seven passes and finished with 13 total hits against Cleveland and Deshaun Watson. David Bailey and Darrell Jackson Jr. were part of the wrecking crew, and Bailey - the No. 2 pick this past April - led the charge with three sacks and Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Gruden zeroed in on what he called the Jets’ NASCAR package, highlighting how the team lines up Bailey, Will McDonald IV, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare as pass-rushers while one defensive end drops into coverage. That wrinkle forces one of the offensive linemen to hesitate, which then opens the door for a linebacker or defensive back - Gruden pointed to Demario Davis and Jarvis Brownlee - to attack the gap.
“So it’s a four-man overload with Palms coverage, dropping the defensive end,” Gruden explained. “Kaboom!
It’s awesome. They did it six times!”
Even without a telestrator or the actual film in front of him, Gruden used a whiteboard to lay out exactly how the Jets kept Cleveland’s offensive line under siege. The whole segment carried a very different tone from the noise that usually clutters NFL discourse, the kind of hot takes and misinformation that have been flying around for months.
And it’s a reminder of how fast a single win can flip the mood around a team. Just last week, Jets fans were bracing for a fourth straight loss. The injuries were stacking up, and even Bailey was drawing criticism on social media.
Now the conversation has shifted. Some fans are talking about Bailey as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and a few are even letting themselves think about Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots.
That optimism has to be tempered, though. New England is expected to be without running back TreVeyon Henderson, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and left tackle Will Campbell, who is dealing with a knee injury. The Jets, meanwhile, have their own issue up front: Aaron Glenn said Friday morning that Ossai’s ankle injury will keep him out.
That could create an opportunity for backup defensive end Nate Lynn, who stood out in the preseason and was added to the active roster last week.
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Jets Could Take A Huge Pass Rush Gamble Next To David Bailey
The Jets are already looking ahead to the 2027 draft with an eye on adding another pass rusher to line up next to David Bailey, and the idea is the kind of swing that makes sense for a team trying to stockpile premium talent. With multiple first-round picks in hand, New York has the flexibility to chase a high-upside edge even if the player comes with some baggage, especially with veteran presence around to help ease the transition for younger additions.
One name that could fit that profile is South Carolinas Dylan Stewart, whose talent is part of the appeal and whose recent suspension has complicated the evaluation. For a Jets front office that can afford to be aggressive, the question is how much risk it wants to embrace for a player who could bring real juice off the edge, but still leaves scouts and decision-makers weighing the same uneasy tradeoff. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Rookie May Have Earned A Bigger Role At Perfect Time
Darrell Jackson Jr. gave the Jets another reminder of why they liked the rookie defensive tackles tools in the first place. Against Cleveland, he flashed the kind of disruptive presence that can change a drive, and Aaron Glenn pointed to Jacksons work in practice and the way he has learned to use his size as reasons the young lineman is starting to earn trust.
The timing matters, too, with New England coming up and the Patriots possibly missing left tackle Will Campbell. For a Jets defense looking for answers up front, Jacksons recent surge gives the staff something to think about as it builds its game plan, especially if his recent play carries over into a matchup where interior pressure could matter even more. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fan Favorite Nate Lynn Just Got The Opening Fans Wanted
A path opened for Nate Lynn just as the Jets hit Week 5, with the pass-rusher moving up from the practice squad to the active roster. The promotion comes after a first month spent waiting in the wings, and it gives the team another option on the edge as it prepares for a Patriots matchup that has already been shaped by a shortage of healthy bodies.
The move is tied to Joseph Ossais injury situation, which has slowed him early in the season and left the Jets thin at a spot where they need bodies ready to contribute. Ossai has managed nine tackles in three games, but with his availability wiped out for this week, Lynn suddenly has the opening fans had been hoping for. [Read more 🡒]