Jets will be without David Onyemata for pivotal stretch after latest injury update

As the New York Jets prepare for Week 3 and try to nurse themselves back to full health, their impressive defense was dealt a body blow when they learned the injury status of starting defensive tackle David Onyemata.

Head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that Onyemata underwent core muscle surgery after leaving the team's Week 2 loss against the Green Bay Packers with an injury. Glenn said that he expects Onyemata to be back before the end of the season, however. That doesn't negate what a huge loss Onyemata is for this team's defensive line.

The Jets' offseason was all about getting stronger in the trenches on defense, and adding one of Glenn's prized pupils in Onyemata was one of the main reasons this veteran-led unit got so much preseason hype. It will be incumbent on the younger depth pieces to make up for this loss.

New York Jets DT David Onyemata undergoes core muscle surgery

Despite a strong statistical start to the season, this Jets defense has been ravaged by injuries. Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured on the team's first drive, and both rookie second-round cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and free agent pass rusher Joseph Ossai missed the team's first two games.

Onyemata, who was rock-solid with the Atlanta Falcons last season, previously worked with Glenn as a member of the New Orleans Saints when he was the defensive backs coach. By all accounts, Onyemata is a solid gold leader and clubhouse voice.

Onyemata had missed only three games in the four years prior to his arrival in New York. His status as a paragon of durability made him someone the Jets trusted to be a starter on their new-look defensive line. Onyemata provided good space-eating on the interior, but now the Jets will need to look elsewhere to replace him.

The New York Jets will need to replace David Onyemata quickly

The Jets will likely elevate 2025 standout Jowon Briggs to the starting lineup to replace Onyemata. After dominating in Week 2, which makes the decision to limit him to a backup role even more puzzling, the Jets may have more pass-rush juice from this unit than what the former Saints and Falcons veteran was providing.

Fourth-round rookie Darrell Jackson Jr. should also see an uptick in snaps with Onyemata sidelined. Against a Lions team that features perhaps the deadliest offensive weapon in the game today, in Jahmyr Gibbs, the Jets will need their role players to excel against one of the league's most potent offenses.

Onyemata missing time is not going to win or lose any extra games for the Jets, but it stinks for a defense that started the season off in such exemplary form to lose yet another projected starter right before what could be a season-defining stretch of games. The silver lining is that Onyemata could return in a few months' time.

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