Jets defense sets massive goal for 2023 NFL season

New York Jets players such as veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley want to be responsible for the NFL's best defense this season. 

"Yeah, why not? We put in the work, so why not go for it? Why not try to be the best?" Mosley said about that goal after he and other Jets players reported for training camp, per Joey Chandler of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. 

The 2022 Jets held a 7-4 record in early December despite the well-noted struggles of young quarterback Zach Wilson thanks largely to their defense. Per ESPN stats, the Jets finished last regular season fourth in the league in total defense (311.1 yards per contest) and scoring (18.6 points per game). Such production couldn't make up for backup signal-caller Mike White suffering fractures to his ribs in Week 14, but cornerback D.J. Reed thinks having Aaron Rodgers atop the depth chart at the sport's most important position can assist the Jets on both sides of the football. 

"He is going to help us a lot," Reed said about Rodgers. "We already talked about what teams look at when they are preparing for us, what they see that they can exploit or think they can exploit. Talking to him from that perspective was cool during (organized team activities). Also, we are going to get deep balls in practice. Last year we didn’t really throw the ball deep that much in practice, so this year the ball is going up."

Fellow Jets cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner previously mentioned how he believes he'll improve coming off his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign thanks to practicing against Rodgers. Mosley made it known he lost some battles versus the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player during springtime workouts. 

"If you count the offseason so far, he’s got me two or three times on no-look passes and I’ve got him once, so right now he is ahead," Mosley admitted about Rodgers. "I’ve been excited for that, so like I said, it’s another way I am getting better at my game is looking at him, reading off of him and seeing the things he sees." 

Reed and other Jets players aren't shying away from the fact that fans and outsiders expect New York to pursue a Super Bowl berth as soon as Rodgers' first season with the organization. Defense wins championships, teaches the old saying, and the Jets' defensive unit sounds eager to prove the franchise was merely a quarterback away from playing meaningful football this past January.