3 NY Jets who must step up after Jermaine Johnson Achilles tear

With Haason Reddick still refusing to report to the NY Jets, third-year Pro Bowler Jermaine Johnson was thrust into the role of the top edge rusher. After just two games, the Jets went from a team with seemingly too much edge rusher depth to a team in dire need of someone to step up.

In the Jets' win against the Tennessee Titans, Johnson was carted off the field with an injury that was later confirmed to be a torn Achilles. While the Jets did manage to make some plays in the immediate aftermath, they did lose one of their best young players and a key defensive cog.

The Jets' someone inauspicious start to the season has highlighted the downgrade in defensive line talent compared to last year. With Reddick holding out and Johnson now on the mend, their already tenuous depth will be stretched to breaking point. These three players need to play some of the best football of their respective careers.

3 Jets who must step up after Jermaine Johnson Achilles tear

3. DT Quinnen Williams

While Williams has been perfectly fine in the first two games of the season, he hasn't played like the All-Pro the Jets believe he should be.

Still the team's best interior pass-rusher and run-defender, Williams needs to be in for a few big games against some exploitable offensive lines. Without Johnson, Williams may be the only above-average lineman on this roster.

2. EDGE Micheal Clemons

The decision to replace John Franklin-Myers with Clemons has been a failure to this point. Clemons may be a tough guy, but he is a classic tweener. He lacks the speed to win on the edge consistently, and he isn't big enough to transition to full-time defensive tackle work.

While Clemons has a sack, it was at the end of the Jets' noncompetitive 49ers loss. Clemons faces the very real possibility of being phased out of the Jets' plans once they find a viable alternative, and the only way to get back in the good graces of this fanbase is to start turning some pressures into sacks.

1. EDGE Will McDonald

If there was ever a game for the McDonald supporters to hold on to, the Titans matchup was exactly what they wanted. McDonald picked up three sacks of Will Levis (and narrowly missed a fourth on the Titans' final play of the game) in a display that showed why the Jets took a risk on picking him 15th overall.

Still, McDonald was stonewalled against San Francisco, and Robert Saleh hasn't seen McDonald string together consecutive quality games in his career. Against some very beatable offensive lines in New England, Denver, and Minnesota, McDonald needs to use this stretch as a springboard to kick-start his career.

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