Jamien Sherwood can't seem to shake his biggest problems from the 2025 season

It wasn't all that long ago that Jamien Sherwood was considered a key building block for a young New York Jets defense. After his 158-tackle 2024 season, he was even considered a priority free agent by Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey.

One of the first personnel moves of the Glenn and Mougey era was re-signing Sherwood to a three-year, $45 million contract, which at the time made him one of the top five highest-paid linebackers in the NFL at the time. Since then, it's safe to say the former fifth-round draft pick has not lived up to that deal.

In 2025, Sherwood struggled mightily as the Jets' lead inside linebacker. Despite wearing the green dot and being voted a team captain, the former safety-turned-linebacker was one of the league's worst linebackers, particularly in coverage.

Over the offseason, Sherwood said he worked on his ability to drop back into coverage, but through the first three games of the regular season, he has picked up right where he left off in the worst possible way.

Jamien Sherwood's struggles in coverage continue for New York Jets

Against the Detroit Lions in Week 3, Sherwood was an obvious target for Jared Goff and their offense. They routinely found him in coverage, as The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt shared on X.

Sherwood clearly sticks out as a point of emphasis for opposing offenses. It's been a weakness in his game for the last two seasons now, and the situation is starting to become untenable.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sherwood is the 52nd-best coverage linebacker in the league among 69 qualified players, with a grade of 50.7. If this keeps up, the Jets may have no choice but to look elsewhere for contributions on defense.

Could the New York Jets bench Jamien Sherwood?

The question Jets fans are likely asking themselves is: if Sherwood is such a liability in the passing game-- can they turn to someone else to replace him?

Unfortunately, there aren't many options for New York on the roster. Trevin Wallace, whom they claimed off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, only just appeared in his first game this past Sunday against the Lions. He only played special teams.

Troy Reeder, in a similar vein to Wallace, has only played on special teams thus far. It's obvious the Jets don't trust either veteran on defense quite yet.

With injuries to both Kiko Mauigoa and Marcelino McCrary-Ball, linebacker is an incredibly thin position for the Jets. They're stuck with Sherwood for at least the remainder of 2026.

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