“Jeff understands the business of football, he understands there was going to be a schematic change, and that T’Vondre is going to a place where he could have more success based on the scheme he’s going to play versus scheme he would play in a Robert Saleh’s defense, so he understood that there was nothing he could do about it, and he’s still going to stay in touch with him because he thinks that highly of him that he really can be a guy that can be dominant and be the best nose tackle in football.”
Sweat, 24, started 12 games for the Titans last season and tallied 34 tackles and 2 sacks. As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games, with 51 tackles, 4 TFL, a sack and a forced fumble/recovery. In his five seasons playing for the Longhorns, Sweat had 128 tackles, 17.5 TFL, 14 PD, 2 FR and 1 FF. In 2023, he won the Outland Trophy and was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Coming to the Jets, Sweat joins a revamped defensive front that has added edge rushers David Bailey, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare, and defensive tackle David Onyemata. They join holdovers Harrison Phillips, Will McDonald IV and Jowon Briggs.
The Jets, especially Glenn (who will call plays on defense) and DC Brian Duker are counting on Sweat reaching his full potential.
“It’s all about learning how to be a pro,” Douzable said. “I know there were those question marks for T’Vondre coming out. Would he be a three-down player? How many reps could you get from him on the field?”
He added: “But I know he’s [Sweat] looking forward to getting back to being the guy that he was, his rookie year, and now he’ll be back in that system, similar to the system that he played in his rookie year, to be a dominant force in the middle of the defense. So being able to shadow a guy like Jeff Simmons, who was an All-Pro, and he shows you the ins and outs of what it takes, and he’s giving you tricks of the trade. It can only benefit you as a young player. It’s always great when veterans take young players under their wing.”