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.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not waste any more time. Here is one thought regarding every move the team has made thus far.<\/p>\n
EDGE Joseph Ossai: A bet on upside<\/p>\n
Joseph Ossai and the Jets agreed<\/a> on a three-year, $36 million deal.<\/p>\n At 25 years old, the Texas product developed into a solid player over the course of his four-year career in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 3-4 system, as Jets X-Factor\u2019s Michael Nania pointed out<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 25-year-old certainly possesses all the tools to stand out this season on the Jets\u2019 defense, making him a sound addition.<\/p>\n EDGE Kingsley Enagbare: Depth matters<\/p>\n Jets fans know it firsthand; depth matters, particularly off the edge.<\/p>\n Last season, the team\u2019s lack of depth at defensive end was exploited. Outside of starters Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson, who each had down seasons, New York\u2019s edge group was a full-blown liability.<\/p>\n Braiden McGregor, Tyler Baron, and Micheal Clemons were nothing short of unwatchable last season, and they played significant snaps for the team.<\/p>\n While Kingsley Enagbare, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the team, doesn\u2019t offer as high a ceiling as Ossai, he is highly consistent and profiles as a perfect fourth or fifth player in the Jets\u2019 EDGE rotation, replacing players like McGregor, Baron, and Clemons.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Enagbare is also highly consistent, logging 24-25 pressures in all four of his NFL seasons, coupled with 31-39 tackles.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s defensive end rotation. The Jets\u2019 decision to sign him to a one-year deal for $10 million shows that they value depth.<\/p>\n Demario Davis: Ageless<\/p>\n Entering his age-37 season, Davis remains one of the NFL\u2019s top linebackers.<\/p>\n In 2025, his outstanding defensive grade of 81.4 from Pro Football Focus ranked sixth-highest among qualified linebackers.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also still one of the league\u2019s best run-defenders. For the 2025 season, he posted a remarkable 88.9 run-defense grade courtesy of PFF, the seventh highest among linebackers.<\/p>\n Davis also forced two fumbles, the fifth-most among LBs, and ranked seventh at his position in stops (55).<\/p>\n Beyond his excellent production, Davis is also one of the league\u2019s best leaders, which is needed on a team like the Jets that is continuing to establish a locker-room culture.<\/p>\n The former New Orleans Saint will now join a Jets\u2019 linebacker room that struggled mightily in 2025. <\/p>\n Quincy Williams, who signed with the Cleveland Browns this week, ranked among the league\u2019s worst coverage linebackers, while Jamien Sherwood, who earned a three-year $45 million extension after breaking out in 2024, struggled to replicate that success.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n David Onyemata: Run-stuffer<\/p>\n While David Onyemata<\/a> may not be the player he once was, he remains one of the league\u2019s top run-stuffing defensive tackles.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Last season, the Jets\u2019 run defense was one of the NFL\u2019s worst, allowing 139.5 rushing yards per game, the fourth-most in the league. <\/p>\n The 33-year-old will provide aid to an area of the Jets\u2019 defense that struggled mightily last season.<\/p>\n Dane Belton: Excellent value<\/p>\n Mougey has built a reputation for finding excellent value throughout his tenure as the Jets\u2019 GM, both on the trade block<\/a> and in the free-agent market.<\/p>\n Adding Dane Belton was another fantastic value<\/a> move by Mougey and company.<\/p>\n Throughout his four-year NFL career, Belton has been a turnover machine, logging\u00a0six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries despite starting only 22 games.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Landing a player with those metrics, who is just 25 years old, on a contract worth up to $6 million is spectacular value.<\/p>\n Nahshon Wright: Prioritizing takeaways<\/p>\n Nahshon Wright<\/a> compiled one of the more shocking seasons of any defensive back in the NFL.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 entire defense.<\/p>\n However, he consistently struggled in coverage.<\/p>\n Per PFF, Wright surrendered 725 yards and seven touchdowns in coverage, the fifth-highest totals among cornerbacks last season.<\/p>\n With his coverage woes in mind, the Jets landed Wright at a fair price of $5.5 million on a one-year deal.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s worst coverage corners and struggled to be a difference-maker during his first four seasons in the pros, making the price tag justified.<\/p>\n Cade York: Why?<\/p>\n In a season riddled with negatives, the Jets\u2019 special teams unit was one of the few bright spots for the organization last season.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Since the start of the 2023 season, Folk has been the most reliable kicker in the NFL.<\/p>\n Over that span, he owns the league\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Folk\u2019s 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%.<\/p>\n Not only was letting him go a mistake by Gang Green, but Cade York <\/a>is anything but a reliable replacement option.<\/p>\n 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%).<\/p>\n There is a good chance York won\u2019t be on the Jets\u2019 roster by Week 1 of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that last year, the team didn\u2019t sign Folk until the end of July.<\/p>\n Dylan Parham: Potential steal<\/p>\n This offseason, the Jets lost two of their top guards in John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker.<\/p>\n Losing Vera-Tucker didn\u2019t have much of an impact on the team\u2019s starting offensive line since he didn\u2019t appear in a game last season due to a torn tricep. However, Simpson\u2019s departure created an immediate need at left guard.<\/p>\n