Much-maligned Jets defender looks like a surprising roster lock

New York Jets fans have spent much of this offseason hoping that a new regime would bring real change to the organization. That exchange shouldn't be limited to just a "cultural reset" either. Jets fans have been hoping for genuine changes to the team's roster personnel.

That includes moving on from players the old regime seemingly overvalued despite consistent struggles. At the top of that list for many fans is defensive lineman Micheal Clemons.

Once seen as a promising mid-round gem, Clemons has quickly become one of the most maligned players on the roster. His on-field performance has fallen well short of expectations, while his extracurricular antics became a weekly source of frustration.

Still, despite everything, Clemons likely isn't going anywhere. Jets fans should start preparing for that reality.

Micheal Clemons is likely a lock for the Jets' 53-man roster

It's easy to forget now, but Clemons was once viewed as a hidden gem from the Jets’ famed 2022 draft class. Selected in the fourth round out of Texas A&M, Clemons was an older rookie at 25 years old but made an immediate impact in a limited role.

His 78.7 Pro Football Focus grade as a rookie ranked 23rd out of 119 qualified edge defenders, and his physical presence and tenacity quickly made him a fan favorite.

That production carried over into 2023 as part of the Jets’ deep and dominant defensive line rotation. Clemons was never a full-time starter, but in a part-time role, he remained effective and continued to flash potential. Unfortunately, everything unraveled in 2024.

Following the controversial departures of Bryce Huff and John Franklin-Myers, Clemons was eventually thrust into a full-time starting job he simply wasn’t built for.

Haason Reddick, brought in as a replacement, spent much of the year holding out for a new contract, and an early-season Achilles tear to Jermaine Johnson left Clemons as a de facto starter. He went on to start all 17 games and play a career-high 54% of defensive snaps.

The results were disastrous. Clemons posted a brutal 50.6 PFF grade, ranking 114th out of 119 qualified edge defenders. His 46.6 run defense grade and 55.2 pass rush grade were evidence that he struggled in essentially every phase of the game

Jets fans quickly turned on him — and the coaching staff that continued to put him on the field — as he became one of the most heavily criticized players on the team.

Yet here we are, entering 2025, and Clemons is still around, and he's likely not going anywhere. Despite his awful 2024 season, he’s virtually guaranteed a roster spot this year, and unless something changes, he’s poised to enter the season as the top backup defensive end behind Will McDonald and a recovering Jermaine Johnson.

Johnson, who is expected to be ready for Week 1, will miss the start of training camp as he works his way back from injury. That means Clemons will once again take on first-team reps in his absence.

Even when Johnson returns, Clemons will likely play a significant number of snaps, especially with McDonald still developing as a three-down defender. The rest of the Jets’ edge depth chart doesn’t inspire much confidence either.

Rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Baron is seen as a long-term project. Free-agent signing Rashad Weaver reportedly impressed during spring workouts, but he hasn’t recorded a sack since 2022 and spent most of last year on the Texans’ practice squad.

Beyond that, the Jets are relying on unproven former UDFAs like Braiden McGregor and Eric Watts, neither of whom did much to stand out as rookies. The Jets' defensive end depth chart is razor thin.

So, despite being one of the least popular players among the fan base, Clemons remains a temporary fixture on the roster.

He’s still the most experienced depth piece they have, and unless Baron or Weaver impress this summer, he’s going to play a big role again in 2025, possibly a bigger one than anyone wants to admit.

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