The New York Jets have a centerpiece locked up long term, but, outside of Quinnen Williams, they need bodies on the defensive line interior.
The Jets could choose to re-sign one, or all, of the three veteran free agent defensive tackles who contributed in 2023. Quinton Jefferson and Solomon Thomas will seemingly have a chance to return on salary cap-friendly contracts while Al Woods, who will turn 37 years old on March 25, and is coming off a ruptured Achilles, doesn't appear to fit into the plans moving forward.
For the sake of continuity, the Jets will likely opt to bring at least Jefferson or Thomas back into the fold. With a lot of money already committed to the position in the form of Williams, reasonably-priced options like Jefferson and Thomas make sense.
According to Spotrac, Jefferson was under contract for $3.6 million in 2023 while Thomas played on a one-year deal worth $2.35 million. Both players proved to be good values for a Jets' defense (292.3) ranked third amongst NFL team leaders.
Jefferson started 14 games in 2023, replacing Sheldon Rankins who left for the Houston Texans in free agency. He totaled 34 tackles and a career-high 6.0 sacks. Jefferson, who turns 31 years old on March 31, hadn't missed a game in nearly four full seasons until landing on Injured Reserve in late December.
Thomas, known as a high character individual, has experience in Saleh's system dating back to their days with the San Francisco 49ers. The Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, who has played in all 34 games since signing with the Jets, set his career high with 5.0 sacks this past fall.
If the Jets are comfortable spending more money on a defensive tackle, they could target an upgrade such as Buffalo Bills' free agent DaQuan Jones, who made $7 million last year.
Regardless of how they go about it, Joe Douglas and the front office have multiple moves to make on the defensive line this offseason. NFL Free Agency begins on March 13.
More must-reads: