Gang Green Nation
Over the last few years, the story at defensive tackle has remained constant for the Jets. There is one star and a rotating supporting cast. 2025 will bring the Jets a new defensive coaching staff but more of the same at this particular position.
Quinnen Williams
2024 was a bit of a down year for Quinnen Williams. It marked the first time in three years that he was not selected to the Pro Bowl. There were moments where he flashed the dominance of the previous two seasons. There were even full games where he did so. His play was pretty up and down by his standards, though.
Quinnen was far from the only player on the 2024 Jets roster who could say that. On a team full of dysfunction, I am inclined to give a pass to a player of Quinnen’s caliber for a down year. Given his physical talent and outstanding technique, we can expect a big bounceback season.
The Jets need it. The coaches might be new, but the challenge remains. Through the tenures of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, the Jets did not invest big in finding Quinnen a partner. It struck me as a philosophical thing. A player of Quinnen Williams’ caliber is going to draw the attention of opposing blocking schemes. Anybody who plays next to him will feast on one on ones from the double teams he draws. Thus any halfway decent NFL defensive tackle can look solid next to him.
It worked well enough when the Jets had the likes of Sheldon Rankins and Quenton Jefferson. Javon Kinlaw showed the limits of this approach.
It isn’t clear whether Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey will take the same approach over the long haul. They didn’t invest heavily at the position this year, but the Jets had limited resources. In the future perhaps defensive tackle will be more of a focus.
For this year, it remains the Quinnen Williams show. The Jets need a big year. They also need him to stay healthy because defensive tackle gets dicey quickly when he isn’t on the field.
Derek Nnadi
Phidarian Mathis
Byron Cowart
Jay Tufele
All of these players have at least three years of experience in the league. Some have more impressive resumes than others. None is a star. The Jets are hoping at least one or two of them takes advantage of those opportunities Williams provides and has a good season.
Leonard Taylor
Taylor parlayed a strong 2024 preseason into a spot on the 53 man roster and ended up getting the fourth most snaps on the team at defensive tackle. He more or less held his own in those snaps.
We can say with some confidence that the worst case scenario for Taylor is he is a decent back of the rotation guy at defensive tackle who can handle a small snap load. However, as with any young player there is a...
