3 burning questions facing the Jets defense entering the 2025 season

The New York Jets will enter 2025 with a good defense — a really good defense. There's elite talent at all three levels. Sauce Gardner is an all-world cornerback, both Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood are Pro Bowl-caliber linebackers, and Quinnen Williams is a top-five interior lineman in football.

The thing is, if the Jets want to have any success, they will need every ounce of this talent. The offensive line is improved, and the running game appears solid, but the lack of receiving talent mixed with a run-first QB means the offense is unlikely to put up a ton of points.

The Jets will go as their defense goes. And while the defense is really good, is it great? There are still some questions that need answers. We'll look at three specific questions for the defense, and the answers might determine how far the Jets go in the AFC.

1. Is Will McDonald the real deal?

The talented edge rusher out of Iowa State finally had a standout season after a disappointing rookie campaign in 2023. He finished with 10.5 sacks, which was one of the few positives amongst another depressing Jets' season. Will McDonald has gone from a potential bust to the primary pass-rusher on a top-tier defense.

This has been, to say the least, a welcome development. But aside from McDonald, the Jets don't have a lot of options to generate pressure on the quarterback naturally. Jermaine Johnson is a solid option opposite McDonald. But if those two aren't getting around the corner consistently, it will take creativity to get guys in the backfield.

Tyler Baron is an interesting prospect out of Miami to keep your eyes on, and Micheal Clemmons has proven to be an NFL player, but at the end of the day, the bulk of the work will fall squarely on the shoulders of McDonald. He will be the difference between needing to rely on the blitz consistently and having the freedom to only send three or four men at the quarterback.

McDonald can become a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He's right there. 10.5 sacks is nothing to sneeze at, and the massive leap from year one to year two suggests that he has it in him.

If his trajectory maintains at the rate it's been on, he can turn the defense from a really good unit to a great one. He could also be the first star pass-rusher the Jets have had in... forever.

2. Does a third linebacker establish themselves?

The Jets have a lethal duo of linebackers in their prime. Quincy Williams has turned into an invaluable mainstay on defense, and Jamien Sherwood is an exceptional linebacker who was just locked up on a long-term deal. You know what you're getting in them.

Behind them is where you don't know what you're getting. The conversation might start with Jamin Davis, the former first-round pick turned journeyman. I believe there is a lot of upside in Davis. He's proven to be impactful in the past, and at the very least, he brings some level of experience.

On the bench are Francisco Mauigoa and Zaire Barnes, who combine for a total of zero defensive snaps played in the NFL. In the past few years, the Jets have steadily run defensive sets that only require two linebackers. With a completely new defense being installed, that could very well change.

The defense can't be in dime and nickel on every single play, especially not with the recent trend toward more rush-first offenses. And they certainly can't run with five down linemen for every snap.

A third and fourth backer is going to be featured plenty, and the Jets can't afford to have them be a weak point. Williams and Sherwood are reliable, but if a third linebacker is getting bulldozed or run around on every play, it brings the entire operation down.

Will anyone on the roster become a third linebacker that can be trusted with starter-level snaps? While none are huge names yet, there is every chance that one or two of the backups unexpectedly pop this year. It happens every year at every position. Keep a close eye on Mauigoa.

Whether it's Mauigoa, Davis, Barnes, or someone else, the Jets will need a good third man next to their star duo.

3. Is the secondary deep enough?

The Jets just locked in the backbone of their secondary on a four-year, $120.4 million extension. The best cornerback in football, Sauce Gardner, is a given on every play. Outside of him, there's not a ton to be confident about.

It's not as if the cabinet is completely barren. Tony Adams, a homegrown talent, will return as the starting safety. Michael Carter II will return at nickel corner, looking to rebound from an injury-riddled 2024 season, and Isaiah Oliver is right behind him.

And then there's the pair of new veteran additions, Andre Cisco at free safety and Brandon Stephens at cornerback, who appear to be the odds-on starters. The big question is, are the guys behind Gardner enough to make for a top-tier secondary? Is there enough quality depth?

There's no reason to be doom-and-gloom about all of these options. Each player has upside, but each player also has a downside. There are no stars in that group.

Is it possible that one or two of them unexpectedly blossom into standout players? 100%. But it's also possible that outside of Gardner, there are plenty of gaps for quarterbacks to attack in the Jets' secondary this season.

When the Jets face off against Josh Allen in Week 2 or Joe Burrow in late October, I'm confident that they won't be targeting anyone within five yards of Gardner. But am I confident that Brandon Stephens won't be consistently torched? Ravens fans didn't seem to be upset to see him go.

Carter could be in for a bounce-back year. I also like Andre Cisco and Tony Adams, but I would say they feel more like a top-20 safety duo than a top-five combination. Which is fine, but the Jets will need a top-five level defense to compete.

All of these questions feel "nitpicky." As I said at the start, the Jets have a really good defense. To some degree, these are champagne problems, but the defense cannot be good this year — it has to be great. So any holes, no matter how small, stand to be the difference in several games.

Each defensive unit is objectively good. But good won't cut it. Not this year.

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