The New York Jets may have found one of those defensive linemen who rarely make the loudest plays but end up shaping the whole operation anyway.
T’Vondre Sweat has fit that mold early this season. Through four games, the first-year Jet has been one of the most effective defensive tackles in football, and the numbers back up the eye test. He sits 10th among defensive tackles in Pro Football Focus grading at 78.9, a strong start for a player whose job is often measured in ways that never show up cleanly on a box score.
What makes Sweat’s start stand out even more is how he has handled the heavy attention coming his way. NFL analyst Judah Fortgang pointed out on X that Sweat is sitting around the 59th percentile in double-team rate this year, which means he has drawn more double teams than most defensive tackles.
That’s no surprise for a 6-foot-4, 366-pound lineman. The impressive part is what he’s done against those looks.
According to PFF, Sweat has been the league’s most effective defensive tackle against double teams this season. That kind of production matters because a player built like Sweat is not always going to pile up sacks or fill the stat sheet with splash numbers. His value comes in the grind of each snap, where he can tilt protections, eat space and force offenses to deal with him.
That role becomes even more important for a Jets defense that has not been getting enough help from the edge. Against the Chicago Bears last week, New York’s edge rushers combined for four total pressures. That simply is not enough if the goal is to consistently win games.
Fortgang also flagged another sign that Sweat’s impact is going beyond just clogging lanes. The former Tennessee Titan ranks around the 74th percentile among defensive tackles in disruption pressure and sits in the 89th percentile in PFF’s overall grade. Disruption pressure is about more than sacks; it captures the kind of play that rattles an offense even if it doesn’t end with a quarterback hit in the stat sheet.
That’s the key with Sweat. He’s doing the unglamorous work, but he’s also affecting plays in a real way.
He’s already become one of the Jets’ best answers in a spot where he wasn’t expected to be a major difference-maker, especially as a pass rusher. He’s been exactly the kind of unsung defensive piece a team wants around.
Still, the load can’t sit on his shoulders alone. For Sweat’s early impact to keep paying off, the Jets need more from the outside rush, because the 366-pound tackle can’t carry the whole front by himself.
In Other News...
Jets Face Another Injury Test As One Late Decision Looms
Another week, another test of depth for a Jets roster that has spent much of the early season juggling injuries. New York and Cleveland released their inactive lists for Sundays Week 5 matchup, and the Jets will be without Breece Hall, Adonai Mitchell, Dylan Parham, Kiko Mauigoa, Nahshon Wright and Nate Lynn, a collection of absences that trims options on offense, along the line and on defense as the team tries to stay afloat.
The bigger late twist centers on Will McDonald, who was limited on Friday and remains a game-time decision. With several players already unavailable and a few other statuses still being monitored closer to kickoff, the Jets are once again waiting until the last possible moment to see how much of their pass-rush plan will be intact against a Browns team dealing with its own injury issues. [Read more 🡒]
Former Jet Quincy Williams Just Made Week 5 Personal
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Williams has made it clear the matchup carries extra meaning for him, too. The Jets did not bring him back, and he has embraced the chance to make them pay for it when the teams line up in Week 5. It adds a little more heat to a game that already has enough of it, and it puts one more former Jet in the spotlight with something to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Win Still Left Fans Debating Geno Smith And Garrett Wilson
The Jets finally got back in the win column in Week 5, snapping a three-game losing streak and offering a reminder of how much talent still sits on the roster. Garrett Wilson was the most reliable piece on offense, finishing with seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, while the defense had enough impact plays to carry the day despite a rough overall showing.
Even with the victory, the conversation afterward kept circling back to Geno Smith and Wilson, a familiar split between optimism and unease. The Jets piled up 10 penalties for 102 yards, which made the margin feel a lot thinner than a win should, and Smiths uneven afternoon left the team searching for a cleaner answer at quarterback even after a productive day from its top receiver. [Read more 🡒]