Jets whiff on Quinton Jefferson reunion as AFC East rival swoops in

While Jefferson is not a particularly effective run defender, he was able to provide a bit of a spark as a pass rusher. The Jets made the decision to let him and Al Woods, hoping that Javon Kinlaw and Leki Fotu would be able to fill those roles well for the 2024 season.

So far, both of those additions have looked thoroughly mediocre. After veteran defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson struggled to catch on with the Cleveland Browns, the Jets had a perfect opportunity to reunite with him. Instead, they saw one of their more hated rivals beat them to the punch.

Jefferson was snatched up by the Buffalo Bills, who could use him to turn a good defense into a great one by beefing up their defensive line. Missing out on him is bad enough, but losing him to Buffalo has to sting even more. There isn't any more cavalry coming.

Jets miss out on Quinton Jefferson reunion after Bills sign veteran DT

Jefferson only recorded six tackles and one sack with the Browns. With the interior defensive line standing out as Cleveland's biggest defensive weakness, the fact that he couldn't be a productive player in their rotation had to sting for the Browns after his career year with the Jets.

While Robert Saleh is no longer here, Jeff Ulbrich is trying to run the exact same defense. Much like Bryce Huff, some players just work in this scheme. Jefferson is one of those guys, even if he will cause some slight downgrades in the run defense game.

The Jets will try to push forward with a group consisting of Kinlaw, Fotu, and undrafted free agent find Leonard Taylor alongside Quinnen Williams. While the group has performed better lately, they have had the benefit of going up against some genuinely terrible offensive lines.

Unless Williams plays out of his mind, the Jets will once again have some of the worst defensive line play in the AFC. Jefferson could have helped provide just a bit more stability, but the Jets missed their chance to lock him up.