Jets fans are calling for reunion with familiar face to bolster defensive line

The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean the New York Jets are finished bolstering their roster. With a few lingering depth concerns and a clearer understanding of where upgrades may still be needed, the team could look to post-draft free agency to fill some remaining holes.

One area the Jets notably didn’t address during the draft was the interior defensive line. While the team made minor additions in free agency, including former Chiefs veteran Derrick Nnadi, the defensive tackle group remains thin behind Quinnen Williams.

If the Jets want to bring in another body to reinforce the rotation, free agency might offer their best path. Enter a familiar name: Foley Fatukasi.

The former Jets 2018 sixth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career in green and white and developed into a fan-favorite run-stuffer. Now a free agent, some Jets fans are calling for a reunion to help shore up the team’s defensive interior.

Should the NY Jets reunite with Foley Fatukasi?

Fatukasi’s name has made the rounds on social media in recent days as a potential low-cost signing with upside. But while the nostalgia is strong and the connection is obvious, it’s fair to wonder whether the player Jets fans remember is still the player they’d be getting.

Fatukasi was a sixth-round pick of the Jets back in 2018, and by the time his rookie contract expired, he had established himself as one of the league’s premier run-stuffing nose tackles.

The New York native blossomed under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and later in Robert Saleh’s scheme, posting back-to-back Pro Football Focus run defense grades of 87.6 and 86.2 in 2019 and 2020.

After signing a three-year, $30 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, Fatukasi never quite replicated his New York success. He started 29 games across two seasons for Jacksonville, but he never reached the same heights he did with the Jets.

Following his release in March 2024, he caught on with the Houston Texans, starting 11 games before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely.

While Fatukasi’s resume includes valuable starting experience, his recent performance tells a different story. He earned a dismal 35.6 overall PFF grade in 2024 — by far the worst of his career — including an uncharacteristically poor 33.9 grade against the run.

That shoulder injury and overall decline in play may be contributing factors to why he remains unsigned after the NFL Draft. Still, it's easy to understand the appeal for Jets fans.

Fatukasi was once a cornerstone of the Jets' defense and still feels like a natural fit for the team’s defense, but the version of Fatukasi that once thrived in green and white may no longer exist.

The Jets signed the aforementioned Nnadi to be their run-stuffing veteran 1-tech defensive tackle in the offseason. Nnadi essentially fills the same role as Fatukasi would.

Fatukasi will always have a place in Jets fans’ hearts, but a reunion might be more about nostalgia than need. The Jets have moved on, and Fatukasi may no longer be the player they remember.

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