The Jets walked out of Week 2 with a brutal 20-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but the defense was about the only part of the team that didn’t deserve the full blame. It kept an explosive offense to 20 points and under 200 yards, and Jowon Briggs was one of the biggest reasons why.
Briggs got his chance because free agent addition David Onyemata left with an injury, and he made it count. He was the Jets’ highest-graded defensive player in Week 2 by Pro Football Focus, finishing with a sack of Jordan Love and doing his part against the run. For a player acquired in a late-round pick swap with the Cleveland Browns, that kind of impact should not be ignored when Onyemata is ready to return.
That’s the real question now: what exactly are the Jets doing with their interior line rotation?
Aaron Glenn has made his priorities pretty clear. He wants to stop the run, which is why the team brought in Onyemata, traded for pure nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat, and kept veteran Harrison Phillips in the mix. The early results have backed that up, with Green Bay and the Tennessee Titans both held under 70 rushing yards in Week 1 and Week 2.
But there’s a tradeoff. The interior pass rush has not been nearly as disruptive as the run defense.
Onyemata has value, but he’s not the same force he once was. Sweat’s job is not built around sack totals, and Phillips doesn’t bring much as a pass rusher.
In a game where Joseph Ossai is out with an injury, that can leave the Jets too easy to blunt on passing downs.
Briggs changes that equation.
He is not just a one-dimensional tackle who can shoot gaps and get washed out against the run. His PFF run defense grade ranks 22nd out of 107 qualified tackles, which is a strong sign that he can stay on the field in any situation. That makes the current snap split hard to justify, especially with Darrell Jackson Jr., a fourth-round rookie, getting a similar workload.
The Jets’ pass rush has improved from last season, but it still isn’t an above-average group. David Bailey, the No. 2 pick, already has two sacks, though his splash plays haven’t always matched the week-to-week consistency. Ossai has yet to play, and Will McDonald remains stuck in his familiar pattern of one huge game followed by a quiet stretch.
Briggs doesn’t need to become John Randle overnight. He just needs a bigger role than he’s getting now. He has already shown he can be part of the solution, and he has done it in a way that reflects well on both Darren Mougey, who found him on the margins, and Aaron Glenn, who helped oversee his breakout.
Phillips still matters as a run-stopper and a veteran presence, but if the Jets want their front to take the next step, they may have to trim his snaps and make room for Briggs once Onyemata is fully healthy. Right now, Briggs looks like too useful a weapon to keep sitting.
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Breece Hall Put The Jets Packers Collapse On One Unit
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Halls own day reflected the broader frustration, with 29 rushing yards and 63 receiving yards in a game the Jets let slip away. For a team already trying to establish some early-season rhythm, the loss felt less like a single bad break and more like a missed chance to back up the defenses effort with a cleaner offensive showing. [Read more 🡒]
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Azareye'h Thomas Is Giving Jets Fans Rare Hope For This Draft Class
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The encouraging part for the Jets is not just the performance, but the way it is showing up in different phases of the game. Thomas has already tied a franchise mark for consecutive games with a pass breakup, and his run-defense grade has been among the leagues best at cornerback too. With other members of the 2025 draft class still waiting to make a similar impact, Thomas is the rare young player giving this group a little credibility, and maybe a lot more than that if the start keeps holding. [Read more 🡒]