Jets coaches excited to see what their defensive line can do at full strength
Jets' Jermaine Johnson participates in practice in Florham Park, N.J., on July 30. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Jets had the main pieces of their defensive line on the field for the first time this week. Watching them put pressure on Justin Fields was a pleasant reminder of what this front could do when it’s at full strength.
“It was really the excitement that sort of brought me here,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Wednesday.
“ . . . Understanding the talent level that we have on this defense and the things that I’ve seen these guys do from afar and then to get all those guys back out there together again, it’s exciting.”
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams returned Tuesday after missing more than two weeks with a calf injury. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson participated in team drills for the first time since tearing his right Achilles tendon last Sept. 15 in Tennessee.
Having those two recent Pro Bowl players back on a line that also features athletic edge rusher Will McDonald led to the defense winning several reps during an end-of-practice move-the-ball period Tuesday.
“Whoa. All I can is whoa,” Aaron Glenn said. “It felt good. I’ll just say that. It felt really good.”
The Jets believe their front will also win many snaps against opponents.
“Those guys are going to be the cowbells of this defense and really try to spark and get us going,” Wilks said.
Wilks included Micheal Clemons in that group. He’s been playing edge in Johnson’s absence. The Jets could also use Clemons inside and line him up next to Williams. “We got some dynamic, dynamic players,” defensive line coach Eric Washington said. “It gives you a lot of options, gives you a lot of speed, a lot of versatility.”
McDonald is coming off a breakout year. He led the team with 10.5 sacks last season, playing much more than anyone expected because of the injury to Johnson and the lengthy holdout by former Jet Haason Reddick. McDonald came back bigger and stronger, adding power to his speed game.
Johnson couldn’t wait to get back on the field and his excitement and energy showed when he beat his man and got a strip-sack on Fields. Johnson had another sack during Wednesday’s rainy practice.
The Jets are confident that Johnson and McDonald will make it a long afternoon for some offensive linemen and quarterbacks.
“Will has a fastball that’s elite in this league,” Glenn said. “Jermaine is a bigger body, 265-270 pounds, that’s a true power player, but he does have speed also . . . You have one guy with power and another guy with speed. Man, that makes a hell of a rush for the most part. And then you have two guys on the interior that can just push the pocket, it creates a great rush.”
The Jets are still figuring out who will be the tackle next to Williams, a 2022 first-team All-Pro. It appears it will be Jay Tufele. Byron Cowart has been slowed by an ankle injury. Clemons could be in the mix as well.
Cornerback Michael Carter II said the Jets’ line has “the ability to be dominant first, second and third down.” Carter said they could stop the run and put offenses in third-and-long situations, “where they could really eat even more and get after the quarterback.”
“I want us to really, really be disruptive,” Washington said. “And I want to be able to count on us being able to generate pressure from those four guys and then whatever we decide to do in terms of our blitzes, that’ll complicate that.”
The Jets added depth to their defensive line Wednesday, pulling off two trades for tackles. They acquired veteran Harrison Phillips, 29, from Minnesota and second-year tackle Jowon Briggs from Cleveland.
Phillips has started 51 games over the last three seasons for the Vikings. He has 314 tackles and eight sacks in 96 games for Buffalo and Minnesota. The Jets sent sixth-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to Minnesota for Phillips and a 2027 seventh-rounder.
Briggs, a seventh-round pick last year, had 13 tackles and two quarterback hits in six games as a rookie. The Jets traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to Cleveland for Briggs and a 2026 seventh-rounder.
Player-driven practice
Glenn held a player-driven walk-through practice over the weekend where linebacker Jamien Sherwood called the plays for the defense and Fields for the offense. Glenn was the only coach there. Safety Andre Cisco, a Valley Stream product, said it was “effective” and let the players take ownership and react to what they were seeing.
No Sauce
Sauce Gardner, who left practice Tuesday after getting hit in the lower right leg, did not practice.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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