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How has the Jets’ defense evolved since last season?
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- How has the Jets’ defense evolved since last season?
During preseason, NFL teams typically operate basic gameplans and vanilla schemes to try to keep their plans under wraps and prevent opposing teams from being able to fully prepare for them until the season is underway. Even so, we learned plenty of things about the Jets' defensive plans for 2026 based on their personnel groupings and formational alignments during the preseason campaign.
Head coach Aaron Glennannounced that he would be taking over the defensive playcalling in 2026, with Brian Dukerhired to coordinate the new defense. Some of their personnel moves during the offseason, together with comments made by Glenn, made it clear that the defensive system would see some changes this year.
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Glenn indicated that, contrary to reports that they would be switching to a 3-4 defense, the Jets would be more multiple in 2026. However, he also acknowledged that they would be operating out of a 3-4 base more often than in the past.
These days, most defenses operate hybrid schemes, and the nature of the modern game tends to dictate that defenses are in sub-packages more often than base anyway. However, Steve Wilks'defense last year operated primarily with four defensive linemen and used a lot of alignments designed to create one-on-ones and isolate one edge while overloading the other side. This year, alongside the personnel and formational changes, we could also see more of an unpredictable approach, especially when the Jets operate with an odd-man front.
New York's defense was 29th against the run last season and, while they were middle of the pack in terms of passing yards, they were dead last in terms of touchdown passes allowed and, of course, failed to intercept a pass all year. The fact that the Jets trailed heavily in the second half in several games was also a factor in these numbers.
Operating out of a 3-4 base is potentially one way to address those struggles against the run by enabling three interior linemen to be in the lineup together. This was something that Jeff Ulbrichstarted doing as the interim head coach towards the end of the 2024 season and the Jets also did some of this last year, albeit sparingly.
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In preseason, the Jets did operate out of some 3-4 base packages on running downs, with Harrison Phillips , David Onyemata and Jowon Briggs working on the first unit. That trio are also listed as the starters on the team's unofficial depth chart. However, that unit was more often than not in packages with five defensive backs and Briggs off the field. While these were four-man fronts, this was still slightly different to what the Jets typically did last season because they lined each defensive tackle up in the B-gap rather than isolating one side or creating an overload.
For the edge defenders, the role shouldn't change much – especially in the case of the pass rush specialists, who will come in and rush off the edge on third down as before. However, when there is base personnel on the field, you may see one of them drop a step or two off the line or even match up with a slot receiver. This sets up situations where the offense can never be sure which edge the pressure will be coming from, if not both. These changes could be part of the reason for the players they targeted at the edge position during the offseason.
/ IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
We didn't get much of a chance to see the Jets' defense at full strength in preseason, as most of their new front seven additions missed time through injury. Nose tackle T'Vondre Sweatand edge defender Joseph Ossai didn't play until the final preseason game, with every other defensive starter rested. In addition, Kingsley Enagbare only played in the second preseason game.
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New York's depth chart lists Sweat as a second-stringer, perhaps indicating that he's still being worked into full shape. However, Ossai and Enagbare are both listed as starters. While these depth charts are unofficial, and prepared by the PR staff, it still could indicate that the expectation is for those two to be in the game when the Jets are in base packages, leaving Will McDonaldand David Baileyto focus on situations where they will get opportunities to rush the passer.
Briggs was a surprising choice to be the nose tackle, but that is how is listed and it was also how he was employed in preseason. This perhaps provides a clue as to how the linemen up front will operate. Briggs impressed with his quickness and ability to penetrate last season, so the Jets may still be looking for their interior linemen to shoot gaps rather than relying on their strength to take on double teams, be responsible for two gaps and bottle up runs as you might typically expect to see in a 3-4 defense.
The book on Sweat is that he is equipped for either approach, so there may be a change of emphasis if his role grows over the course of the season because he should be more adept at holding his ground in the trenches than the smaller Briggs would be in the same role. In the longer term, it is expected that Sweat will be getting a starter's workload.
This renewed emphasis on putting more size and strength up front should make things easier for the linebackers to operate in space and won't interfere with the abilities of the edge rushers to generate pressure off the edge. That, coupled with the expected improvements to defensive communication in the back seven, should hopefully create conditions where the defense has more chances to make impact plays and get off the field.
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Hopefully, this new-look defense will be versatile enough as a unit to be able to implement changes effectively when things aren't working as well as intended. That will be Glenn's biggest challenge in the year ahead.
