Jets veteran’s days are numbered after double DT trade shake-up

The New York Jets made two notable additions to their defensive line room on Wednesday when they acquired former seventh-round pick Jowon Briggs in a trade with the Cleveland Browns and starting 1-tech Harrison Phillips in a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Jets sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Briggs and a 2026 seventh-round pick (via Buffalo) in a deal that gives New York a young flier at the defensive tackle position.

Meanwhile, the team sent a similar swap of Day 3 picks to the Vikings in exchange for Phillips, shipping a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Minnesota for the veteran DT and a 2027 seventh-round pick.

Briggs appeared in just six games as a rookie and was buried in a deep Browns defensive tackle room, but he flashed upside both last year and in the preseason. He's a low-cost, upside swing at a major position of need.

As for Phillips, he's started all 51 possible games over the last three years with the Vikings and should immediately step in as the team's new starting defensive tackle alongside Quinnen Williams.

But while Briggs and Phillips' arrivals are good news for the Jets' defensive line depth, it's not-so-good news for a few players fighting for a roster spot. One such player who now seems destined to be the odd-man-out is veteran Derrick Nnadi.

Jowon Briggs and Harrison Phillips trades seal the Jets' fate of Derrick Nnadi

The Jets signed Nnadi to a one-year contract in March with the expectation that he would compete for the starting 1-tech defensive tackle job alongside Quinnen Williams. The belief going into OTAs was that he was the presumed favorite for the role.

That's because Nnadi brought extensive starting experience with him to Florham Park, having appeared in 115 games (87 starts) for the Kansas City Chiefs over the last seven years.

NNadi spent close to a decade as Kansas City's starting nose tackle before he was relegated to more of a part-rime role in 2024. Still, given the state of the Jets' defensive tackle room, most assumed he would begin the year as the starter.

But the former Florida State star has failed to impress this summer. While fellow free-agent addition Byron Cowart emerged as the new favorite to start before his injury and other depth options like Jay Tufele, Leonard Taylor III, and even UDFA rookie Payton Page flashed, Nnadi did little to stand out.

His performance in the Jets' first two preseason games has left a lot to be desired, too. Nnadi has posted Pro Football Focus grades of 51.6 and 50.6 in each of his two preseason games to this point. He's failed to record a single pressure on nearly 20 pass-rush snaps.

Williams, Phillips, Cowart (assuming he's healthy), and Briggs all feel like locks for the 53-man roster, while Tufele and Taylor are likely competing for the potential fifth spot in the defensive tackle room.

It's hard to see any scenario in which Nnadi beats out any of those players for a spot unless Cowart begins the year on the short-term IR. And even then, the Jets would likely just roster both Tufele and Taylor instead.

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported last week that Nnadi was already "on the outside looking in on the 53" before the Briggs and Phillips trades. This move all but seals his fate.

The Jets expected Nnadi to use his experience as a high-level starter and multi-time Super Bowl champion to help carve out a role in a razor-thin defensive tackle room. Instead, he seems likely to be the odd man out.

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