What is more important for an edge rusher: sacks or all-around play?
The New York Jets seemingly answered that question during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine with their latest roster move. New York traded away its best all-around edge-rusher, Jermaine Johnson, to the Tennessee Titans for a better roster fit in defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
Head coach Aaron Glenn’s decision to infuse more 2-gapping principles into the front was a major factor in the move. Importantly, it also spotlighted the uncertain future of another edge rusher on the roster…
Former first-round pick Will McDonald.
While the Jets have already suggested that the 2023 draft pick wasn’t going anywhere in 2026, there’s reason to believe the team may be looking just beyond adding an additional year to his contract.
The Will McDonald decision
Speaking to reporters last week, Jets general manager Darren Mougey cleared the air on what the team would be expected to do with McDonald ahead of the deadline for his fifth-year option.
“(We) feel really good about Will and that being a possibility,” Mougey said.
Case closed.
McDonald will have two more years on his rookie contract, instead of just the one (a fourth year that all non-first-rounders experience). McDonald has the option for a fifth thanks to his first-round status.
Over the Cap estimates that McDonald’s fifth-year option will cost the Jets $13.7 million in 2027.
The decision regarding McDonald goes beyond just keeping a first-round pick on the roster. Through three seasons, the Iowa State product has notched 21.5 sacks, while becoming just the second Jets defender with over 10 sacks in a single season since 2013.
That kind of production cannot be overlooked, even though McDonald is one of the worst-run defenders in the league.
Sack production still matters in the NFL. It’s a big play that can shut down an entire offense in a league that emphasizes pushing the ball down the field. McDonald’s impact should still be celebrated.
It doesn’t mean upgrades shouldn’t be on the way, though.
The Jets’ EDGE room
With Johnson’s departure, there isn’t a single Jets edge rusher who can be considered a quality run defender. McDonald’s Pro Football Focus run defense grade (41.4) was the third-worst in the NFL last year.
Elsewhere, when considering the EDGE position on the Jets depth chart, Micheal Clemons is a free agent. That leaves the Jets with one clear message: address the edge rusher role in both free agency and the draft.
Owning the second overall pick, New York is expected to target one early in April’s draft. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey are both considered logical fits for the team in that spot.
Outside of the draft, the Jets could also target players like Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, and A.J. Epenesa as free-agent acquisitions that would cost a lot but address many of their run-defense needs.
A Jets pass rush with a prospect like Reese and a free agent such as Phillips (for example), along with McDonald, would be a formidable trio before adding any other player at the position.
It still highlights New York’s need for McDonald to remain on the roster, albeit with a slight position tweaking from 4-3 defensive to 3-4 outside linebacker — if and/or when he’s called upon to play in any of the projected 3-4-principled fronts to come.
With athleticism that is off the charts, though, it’s a no-brainer why the New York Jets are intent on keeping their former first-rounder, Will McDonald, for at least an additional season.