Perfect Jets DL signing with multiple team ties is sitting in free agency

The New York Jets opted against making significant improvements to their defensive line depth this offseason, and with training camp set to begin this week, time is running out for the team to add reinforcements.

While much of the attention will be on headline names, one of the most glaring issues facing this Jets roster is the lack of experienced depth on the defensive line. Injuries and offseason departures have thinned out an edge rusher group that was once a strength of the roster.

If the Jets are looking for a late-summer solution, they don’t have to look too far. Veteran defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker remains unsigned despite two productive years as a starter in Chicago, and he brings more than just experience.

Walker is a known commodity to both Jets general manager Darren Mougey, who was in Denver when Walker was drafted, and new defensive line coach Eric Washington, who worked directly with him last season in Chicago.

It's possible the Jets are content with their current corp of defensive ends battling it out this summer, but Walker would instantly step in as likely the team's top backup behind Will McDonald and a still-recovering Jermaine Johnson.

Jets should sign DeMarcus Walker to bolster their DL depth

Walker originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2017 NFL Draft. A standout pass rusher at Florida State, Walker never quite lived up to his Day 2 billing in Denver, struggling to carve out a consistent role during his four-year stint with the Broncos.

He totaled just 10.5 sacks across those four seasons, mostly playing as a rotational piece in a crowded defensive line rotation. It really wasn’t until 2022 with the Tennessee Titans that Walker finally broke out.

Walker appeared in all 17 games and recorded a career-high seven sacks as a rotational player in Tennessee. He parlayed that performance into a three-year, $21 million deal with the Chicago Bears the following offseason, and for the first time in his NFL career, he was asked to be a full-time starter.

Walker played nearly 70% of defensive snaps in each of the past two seasons for the Bears. While he didn’t replicate his sack total from 2022, he was still a solid defensive contributor.

In 2024, Walker posted a 64.7 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranked 49th out of 69 edge defenders who played at least 500 snaps. He added 39 pressures and a career-high-best 25 run stops. That said, missed tackles have been an issue, with Walker whiffing on nearly 20% of his attempts over the last two seasons.

Now 30 years old (he turns 31 in September), Walker remains unsigned as training camps begin. Despite his age, he's exactly the type of veteran depth the Jets could use, especially given the current state of their defensive end room.

With Johnson opening camp on the PUP list as he rehabs from an Achilles injury, the Jets are dangerously thin at edge rusher. The depth chart is scarily thin behind Johnson and McDonald.

Rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Baron is unproven. Free-agent flier Rashad Weaver is little more than a reclamation project. Second-year UDFAs like Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor are roster hopefuls.

Right now, the much-maligned Micheal Clemons is the favorite to be the top backup defensive end despite a very poor 2024 season that saw him earn a 50.6 PFF grade that ranked 114th out of 119 qualified edge defenders.

The Jets’ new front office has made it a point this offseason to get younger across the roster. Only four players on the 90-man roster are 30 or older, and in that sense, Walker doesn’t really fit the mold of this offseason’s approach.

But his connections to both Washington and Mougey, as well as his proven track record of being a competent, reliable rotational defensive end, make him the rare exception worth pursuing.

He has familiarity with the coaching staff, started all 17 games for an NFL team last year, and offers valuable versatility as a 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman capable of playing both inside and out.

If the Jets want to avoid testing their luck at one of the roster’s thinnest positions, a late-summer reunion with a familiar face just might be the perfect move.

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