Demario Davis has high praise for new Jets defensive lineman

The New York Jets entered the 2026 offseason with plenty of needs to fill on both sides of the football following a miserable three-win season in 2025. Among those needs was fixing a run defense that ranked 29th in the NFL, allowing 139.5 rushing yards per game.

Looking back at the moves made on defense, it's safe to say that Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey emphasized improving the team's ability to stop the run. Two of the many moves that showcased that were Demario Davis and David Onyemata.

For Davis and Onyemata, it's a reunion as the two veterans crossed paths with each other during their time in New Orleans. Following Thursday's OTA practice, Davis reminisced and praised Onyemata for the time spent together on defense in New Orleans from 2018 to 2022.

Davis, who begins his third stint with the Jets, had high praise for Onyemata, calling him one of the top five run defenders he's ever played with. For the Jets, that's something that you want to hear entering the 2026 season.

Demario Davis has high praise for David Onyemata in reunion with Jets

The Jets signed Onyemata to a one-year, $10.5 million deal that includes $9.65M guaranteed back in March. On top of Harrison Phillips, Jowon Briggs, and T'Vondre Sweat, Onyemata comes in as a much-needed, reliable run defender.

In 2025 with the Falcons, Onyemata tallied a career-high 62 total tackles along with seven tackles for loss and 28 run stops. The veteran also posted a 78.2 Pro Football Focus grade and a 74.2 PFF run defense grade, which both ranked eighth among qualified interior defensive linemen.

The 33-year-old's run-stopping ability was also shown through his 42 solo tackles, which ranked ninth at his position. In year ten, Onyemata was able to post the lowest missed tackle rate of his career at 4.8%, which finished fifth among qualified interior defensive linemen.

While Onyemata has made his money in the NFL by being a consistent run defender, the former Saint and Falcon has showcased some pass rush prowess. Last season, despite tallying just one sack, Onyemata finished the year with a 9.7% pass rush win rate, which was above average for his position.

Onyemata has also tallied 31 sacks and 281 pressures across his 154 career games played in the NFL. After a few years away from playing with Davis, the two will now reunite in Florham Park.

When speaking on Onyemata's impact, Davis mentioned how successful the Saints were on defense during their time together. When looking back on those Saints defenses from 2018-2022, they were consistently near the top of the league in stopping the run.

On average, they ranked seventh in run defense, which included three years finishing fourth and ranking second in 2018. For Onyemata himself, across his seven years with the Saints, they finished on average ninth in run defense.

When looking at Onyemata's entire ten-year career so far, the defenses he's been a part of on average finished twelfth in run defense, which is comfortably inside the top half of the league. It's safe to say he's been a big part of those results.

For the Jets, after finishing 29th against the run last year, walking away from the 2026 season with a run defense in the top half of the league would be a success.

Davis and Onyemata, who are two of the better run defenders at their respective positions, will be key to New York's ability to stop the run.

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