Will McDonald gift-wrapped perfect opportunity to cement Jets starting spot

New York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald has fallen down the team's depth chart after a down 2025 season, but he has the chance to bounce right back up in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.

While head coach Aaron Glenn confirmed that injured players like Breece Hall and top pick Kenyon Sadiq are on track to play in Week 1, pass rusher Joseph Ossai has been deemed "week-to-week" with a foot injury. Rich Cimini told fans not to expect Ossai to play in Week 1, giving McDonald a chance to shine against his old coach.

McDonald has fallen down the depth chart after regressing in 2025 and not having the dominant camp many expected. With an uptick in snaps expected in this game as a result of Ossai's injury, McDonald can show this coaching staff that his pass-rush gifts are sterling enough to warrant a premium position in this defensive line rotation.

New York Jets EDGE Will McDonald can thrive in Week 1 after Joseph Ossai injury

McDonald was in line to begin the season as the nominal No. 3 edge rusher on this defense behind Ossai and No. 2 overall pick David Bailey. However, following an extremely strong summer from former Green Bay Packers rotation piece Kingsley Enagbare has led many to believe that the 2023 first-rounder has fallen all the way to a situational pass rush role.

McDonald does have 18.5 sacks under his belt in the last two years despite often playing while down by multiple scores and with few quality edge rushers on the outside to draw offensive attention away from him. However, he has routinely graded out as either the absolute worst or among the worst run defenders, and Glenn has had enough of warping his defense around McDonald's shortcomings.

If McDonald gets off to a hot start against Tennessee and appears to be passable as a run defender, however, it might be tough for the Jets to revert to their original plan.

New York Jets EDGE Will McDonald needs to start hot against the Titans

The Titans have some promising offensive pieces, but the offensive line remains a question mark due to high-priced free-agent signing Dan Moore Jr. struggling and JC Latham (while solid) not playing as dominantly as a top-10 pick should. If Ossai doesn't play and the Jets get out to a strong start, McDonald could force some serious alterations to the depth chart.

With McDonald's future in New York beyond this season not guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination, he needs to show that he has taken a step forward now that Robert Saleh's scheme is in the past. Ossai's injury gave him a launching pad that he would be foolish to waste.

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