New York Jets Add Elite Defender, May Have Best D-Line for 2024 Season

With the addition of Reddick, the Jets now have him, Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald, Javon Kinlaw, and Quinnen Williams. The latter is one of the most dominant interior defensive lines in the NFL, and some think that this is the best defensive line in the NFL.

New York Jets – Best DL

Haason Reddick was on the trade block throughout the 2023 regular season. He now joins one of the top ten defenses in the NFL. His impact will be felt at all levels of their defense and should allow them to be ranked in the top three if everything goes according to plan.

Haason has been an impact player for the Eagles for the past two seasons. He has had double-digit sacks for four consecutive seasons and has never missed an NFL game. Bryce Huff recently left the Jets to head to the Eagles (the teams have basically swapped edge rushers, ironically enough), and Reddick’s impact has been much more significant than Huff’s in his career.

The mentorship Reddick will show the younger edge rushing in New York will be tremendous. Jermaine Johnson enters his third NFL season, having a career-high 7.5 sacks last year. Will McDonald enters his second season as a former first-round pick, mainly as a rotational piece. Both players show explosiveness but lack consistency.

All those names mentioned are great NFL players, but none compare to the All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He is in a league of his own. Williams has had 17.5 sacks in the past two seasons combined.

Williams ranks third in Pro Football Focus’s defensive interior rankings/grades, but with Aaron Donald retiring, he now slides into second place. His overall grade in PFF is 90.6.

New York Jets Defensive Ranks

Last season, the Jets took a step back from their fourth-place ranking in 2022 and slid out of the top ten. Their 12th-place ranking for points against can be partially blamed for their sub-par offensive and lack of field position. Although points were put up against them, yards were not. The Jets ranked second in total yards per play, just behind the Cleveland Browns, with 4.6 yards.

The Jets only blitz on 16.3% of defensive plays, which is second lowest in the NFL. Haason Reddick will allow that trend to continue by creating pressure with their defensive line. The Jets also have the second-highest QB hurry rate at 10.1% of pass plays, meaning a quarterback is hurried on his throws 10% of the time.

Overall, Reddick is a great addition that should help the Jets’ defensive dominance to continue well into the 2024 season.

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