The bulk of NFL free agency is in the books, and as of Sunday morning, Darren Mougey and the New York Jets added eight players on the outside market.

Let’s not waste any more time. Here is one thought regarding every move the team has made thus far.

EDGE Joseph Ossai: A bet on upside

Joseph Ossai and the Jets agreed on a three-year, $36 million deal.

At 25 years old, the Texas product developed into a solid player over the course of his four-year career in Cincinnati.

During the 2025 season, Ossai set career highs in total pressures (43) and forced fumbles (2), while tying his career high in sacks (5). His excellent 70.7 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus ranked him 15th among 64 qualified edge defenders.

Ossai is also highly athletic, logging an unofficial 4.63 forty-yard dash, 41.5-inch vertical jump, and a 131-inch broad jump. Beyond that, his size at 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds makes him a perfect fit as an edge-setting outside linebacker in Aaron Glenn’s 3-4 system, as Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania pointed out.

The 25-year-old certainly possesses all the tools to stand out this season on the Jets’ defense, making him a sound addition.

EDGE Kingsley Enagbare: Depth matters

Jets fans know it firsthand; depth matters, particularly off the edge.

Last season, the team’s lack of depth at defensive end was exploited. Outside of starters Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson, who each had down seasons, New York’s edge group was a full-blown liability.

Braiden McGregor, Tyler Baron, and Micheal Clemons were nothing short of unwatchable last season, and they played significant snaps for the team.

While Kingsley Enagbare, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the team, doesn’t offer as high a ceiling as Ossai, he is highly consistent and profiles as a perfect fourth or fifth player in the Jets’ EDGE rotation, replacing players like McGregor, Baron, and Clemons.

Enagbare logged 25 pressures on 273 pass-rush snaps in the 2025 season. For comparison, McGregor, Baron, and Clemons combined for 34 pressures across 526 total pass-rush snaps.

Enagbare is also highly consistent, logging 24-25 pressures in all four of his NFL seasons, coupled with 31-39 tackles.

Sure, the former Green Bay Packer may not be a starter for the Jets in 2026, but he should certainly play an integral role within the team’s defensive end rotation. The Jets’ decision to sign him to a one-year deal for $10 million shows that they value depth.

Demario Davis: Ageless

Entering his age-37 season, Davis remains one of the NFL’s top linebackers.

In 2025, his outstanding defensive grade of 81.4 from Pro Football Focus ranked sixth-highest among qualified linebackers.

He’s also still one of the league’s best run-defenders. For the 2025 season, he posted a remarkable 88.9 run-defense grade courtesy of PFF, the seventh highest among linebackers.

Davis also forced two fumbles, the fifth-most among LBs, and ranked seventh at his position in stops (55).

Beyond his excellent production, Davis is also one of the league’s best leaders, which is needed on a team like the Jets that is continuing to establish a locker-room culture.

The former New Orleans Saint will now join a Jets’ linebacker room that struggled mightily in 2025.

Quincy Williams, who signed with the Cleveland Browns this week, ranked among the league’s worst coverage linebackers, while Jamien Sherwood, who earned a three-year $45 million extension after breaking out in 2024, struggled to replicate that success.

Not only did the Jets find a tremendous upgrade at one of their glaring positions of need, but the organization also landed a high-character leader.

David Onyemata: Run-stuffer

While David Onyemata may not be the player he once was, he remains one of the league’s top run-stuffing defensive tackles.

In 2025, his PFF run-defense grade of 74.2 ranked eighth among 134 qualified DTs. Onyemata also logged an 8.3% run-stop rate, which ranked seventh out of the 25 players at his position with a minimum of 300 run-defense snaps.

Last season, the Jets’ run defense was one of the NFL’s worst, allowing 139.5 rushing yards per game, the fourth-most in the league.

The 33-year-old will provide aid to an area of the Jets’ defense that struggled mightily last season.

Dane Belton: Excellent value

Mougey has built a reputation for finding excellent value throughout his tenure as the Jets’ GM, both on the trade block and in the free-agent market.

Adding Dane Belton was another fantastic value move by Mougey and company.

Throughout his four-year NFL career, Belton has been a turnover machine, logging six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries despite starting only 22 games.

Beyond that, he is a defensive chess piece, logging snaps in the box (272), free safety (278 snaps), slot corner (124), and boundary CB (17) last season.

Belton was also a difference-maker on special teams last year, posting a quality 71.6 special-teams grade from PFF while finishing second among Giants special teamers in snaps played.

Landing a player with those metrics, who is just 25 years old, on a contract worth up to $6 million is spectacular value.

Nahshon Wright: Prioritizing takeaways

Nahshon Wright compiled one of the more shocking seasons of any defensive back in the NFL.

After starting just three games over his first four NFL seasons, Wright broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2025, posting five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. Wright forced more turnovers than the Jets’ entire defense.

However, he consistently struggled in coverage.

Per PFF, Wright surrendered 725 yards and seven touchdowns in coverage, the fifth-highest totals among cornerbacks last season.

With his coverage woes in mind, the Jets landed Wright at a fair price of $5.5 million on a one-year deal.

Ultimately, the 27-year-old has a ton of upside, as evidenced by his astonishing takeaway total last season, but he was also one of the league’s worst coverage corners and struggled to be a difference-maker during his first four seasons in the pros, making the price tag justified.

Cade York: Why?

In a season riddled with negatives, the Jets’ special teams unit was one of the few bright spots for the organization last season.

One of the main reasons behind that was the dominant kicking of 41-year-old Nick Folk as he returned to New York for a second stint.

Since the start of the 2023 season, Folk has been the most reliable kicker in the NFL.

Over that span, he owns the league’s best field goal percentage at 96.3% and has been superb from distance, connecting on 18 of his 20 attempts from 50 yards or longer.

Folk’s 2025 season with the Jets followed the same script. He was nearly flawless, missing just one field goal all year, along with no missed extra points. His 96.6% field goal percentage was the second-best mark among NFL kickers, just behind Eddy Pineiro of the San Francisco 49ers at 96.9%.

Not only was letting him go a mistake by Gang Green, but Cade York is anything but a reliable replacement option.

York has appeared in 23 NFL games since entering the league in 2022. Throughout his career, the LSU product has converted just 73.3% of his field goal attempts while nailing 94.4% of his extra-point tries. He has missed four kicks within 40 yards while hitting just five of his nine attempts from beyond 50 yards (55.6%).

There is a good chance York won’t be on the Jets’ roster by Week 1 of the 2026 season.

Keep in mind that last year, the team didn’t sign Folk until the end of July.

Dylan Parham: Potential steal

This offseason, the Jets lost two of their top guards in John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Losing Vera-Tucker didn’t have much of an impact on the team’s starting offensive line since he didn’t appear in a game last season due to a torn tricep. However, Simpson’s departure created an immediate need at left guard.

A few days later, the Jets addressed that hole, landing Dylan Parham on a two-year, $16 million deal.

Compared to the deal that Simpson landed with the Baltimore Ravens (three years, $30 million), the Jets found an excellent replacement in Parham.

Parham, 26, is two years younger than Simpson and was also a better player last season. Per PFF’s overall grades, Parham ranked 14th among left guards with at least 500 snaps played in 2025, whereas Simpson ranked 20th.

Parham also has experience at all three positions on the interior of the line (center, right guard, left guard), although he has primarily been a left guard throughout his NFL career.

As Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania pointed out, Parham has the ability to change the Jets’ offense this season.

The 26-year-old’s track record suggests the Jets may have found a big upgrade over Simpson at a more affordable price.