Aaron Glenn's T'Vondre Sweat comparison has Jets fans dreaming of Rex Ryan days

The New York Jets are trying everything in their power to bring back the halcyon Rex Ryan-led days of 2009 and 2010, when they had the league's most feared defense and made it to the AFC Championship in consecutive seasons. Trading Jermaine Johnson II to the Tennessee Titans for T'Vondre Sweat could get the Jets back to the Ryan-era ethos of a run-stuffing defense.

Sweat's size is always going to make him stand out, and with two seasons of tremendous production in Tennessee, per the eyes of Pro Football Focus, the Jets seem to believe they have an unheralded gem on their hands. Head coach Aaron Glenn believes that he has shown shades of a veteran this fanbase fondly remembers from the Ryan days.

Glenn said that Sweat reminds him of former Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins, who was an anchor of both Ryan and Eric Mangini's defenses. If Sweat is half the nose tackle Jenkins was at his peak, the trade with Tennessee could be an overwhelming win for New York.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn compared T'Vondre Sweat to Kris Jenkins

Jenkins had much more pedigree when he arrived from the Carolina Panthers than Sweat had with the Tennessee Titans, as the former made three Pro Bowls and earned two first-team All-Pro selections. Jenkins would make an All-Pro team in New York, teaming with Sione Pouha to form an elite run defense before injuries got the better of him.

Even if fellow 360-pounder Sweat never becomes as elite a run-stuffer despite his talents in that area, the secret ingredient that could set him apart for the Jets is his surprising pass rush upside for someone this size. Well-regarded defensive line coach Karl Dunbar seems as excited as ever to get to work with Sweat.

Sweat may be the biggest non-David Bailey addition to a defensive line that was reinvented in the offseason with the goal of becoming elite at stuffing the run. Adding Sweat, David Onyemata, and rookie Darrell Jackson Jr. to a team that already had Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in the mix.

Sweat needs to stay on the field if he is eventually going to equal Jenkins (or even come close to him) as a player, but the similarities are clear and obvious to those who are watching him. If Glenn is trying to build a Ryan-like team, getting that big space eater in the middle is integral to that.

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