2 first-wave Jets free agent signings we'll love, 2 who will disappoint

While free agency has come to a standstill (for now), the New York Jets were one of the most active teams over the period's first wave. The Jets had a clear strategy  — raise the talent floor by adding veteran leaders and fix a woefully inefficient and ineffective defense.

This isn't like the star-studded and often disappointing free-agent classes from the Mike Maccagnan era, nor is it like the upside plays favored by Joe Douglas, though there are some similarities with the latter.

Instead, this was about a return to competence. The true studs will be added in the NFL Draft, but with a solid supporting cast now in tow, New York can focus a bit more on finding the best players rather than trying to solve needs.

With the time to digest all of this, we've thought through all of these new free-agent additions and identified some who we believe will pleasantly surprise fans in 2026, and some who will disappoint us.

For the point of this, we're only considering free-agent signings, so while Darren Mougey was extremely active and effective on the trade market, players like Geno Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick aren't part of the considerations.

These two Jets free-agent signings will punch above their weight in 2026

S Dane Belton

Dane Belton is simultaneously a floor raiser and a swing on upside. That alone makes the 25-year-old an attractive free agent to bring in. Moreover, he solves a huge issue for the Jets at the safety position.

For years, we've watched Jets safeties take poor angles and whiff on tackles. For example, just look at Tony Adams, who posted a 15.5% missed tackle rate in 2025 and a 14.5% mark for his career. Now consider that Belton led all safeties with a 4.1% missed tackle rate last year, and owns a 9% whiff rate for his career.

He's sure-handed, but also makes big hits. With all that said, Jets fans will love his mentality after he told Connor Hughes and Zack Rosenblatt that there is nothing better than an interception. We can't help but agree.

CB Nahshon Wright

Speaking of interceptions, it's hard not to like bringing in a turnover maven like Nahshon Wright. With five picks and two forced fumbles last year, Wright brings the kind of ball-hawking skillset that was extremely absent last season.

There are some risks, though. The 27-year-old is a gambler and, at times, will get burned. He allowed seven touchdowns last season, but overall was still impactful enough to be a net positive.

Why we'll love him comes down to two factors. First, the competition with Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas should make everyone better. Second, he'll only be making a max of $5.5 million if he hits his incentives, which makes him potentially the best bang-for-your-buck signing this offseason.

These two Jets free-agent signings could seriously disappoint

G Dylan Parham

On the surface, Dylan Parham seems like a fine enough signing. He's no star, but ranking 41st out of 81 qualified guards in both run blocking and pass blocking grades by Pro Football Focus, he'd seem to be an average starter. There's nothing wrong with that.

However, looking at his game-by-game breakdown, it becomes clear that those numbers were buoyed by a handful of big games. Parham only posted an offensive grade over 60 four times. That includes a grade of 91.7 against the Colts, 70.8 against the Jaguars, 76.1 against the Broncos, and 90.1 against the Texans. It's easy to see that his 63.6 mark on the season was inflated.

Moreover, he's coming over from a Raiders offensive line that was plagued by communication issues. With so many youngsters on the offensive front, having a veteran who can help keep everyone on track is paramount, and it's questionable if Parham can add value there or if he'll create chaos.

S Andre Cisco

For all of the reasons there are to like Belton, the opposite is true for Andre Cisco. The 26-year-old put up a career-worst 18.4% missed tackle rate last year, and has a missed tackles at a 14.1% clip for his career.

More than tackling, Cisco was brought in last year to be a back-end eraser. Instead, he posted his lowest PFF coverage grade (54.5), worst completion percentage (82.4%), and worst passer rating (152.6) of his career. He also, obviously, recorded no interceptions and managed just a single pass breakup.

With Belton, Fitzpatrick, and Malachi Moore already in the fold, bringing Cisco in seems unnecessary on the surface. However, Fitzpatrick has said he envisions himself primarily playing the nickel in Aaron Glenn's defense. Still, with Jarvis Brownlee showing promise at that position last year, this doesn't seem to be the best use of resources.