After finishing 31st in points allowed last year, the Jets have made moves to improve their defense.
Linebacker Demario Davis will return to the Jets after agreeing to a two-year, $22 million deal that includes $15 million guaranteed.
An hour after the negotiation period began, Gang Green came to terms with defensive ends Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare.
Acquiring a veteran leader like Davis will improve the Jets defense on and off the field. The Jets originally selected Davis in the third round in 2012 and he spent four seasons with the team before signing with the Browns in 2016. Davis returned to the Jets in 2017 for one last season before playing his past eight in New Orleans.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn was the Saints defensive backs coach for four of the seasons (2017-2020) Davis was on the team.
Davis, 37, started all 131 games he played with the Saints. He finished with 143 tackles, a half-sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery last season. During his time in New Orleans, Davis registered over 100 tackles in all eight seasons.
Adding pass rushers to Glenn’s new defensive system was a must for the Jets. They finished with the second-fewest sacks (26) in the league last season. It became even more of a priority after trading Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat two weeks ago, which left them a gaping hole opposite Will McDonald.
With the Jets moving to a hybrid 3-4 defense, they add Ossai and Enagbare, both still young players entering their primes. Ossai and the Jets agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract, including $22 million guaranteed.
Ossai, 25, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals after they drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Texas. During that time, he tallied 14.5 sacks. Ossai registered five sacks apiece during the last two seasons while playing in a rotational role. Ossai is known for his high motor and quick first step off the line.
Enagbare, 26, and the Jets also agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract. The Packers drafted him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. Much like Ossai, Enagbare was a part-time player in Green Bay and had 11.5 career sacks.
During his time with the Packers, Enagbare has started 21 games, mostly due to injury. Enagbare was also a significant special-teams contributor, which should be appealing to the Jets’ special-teams coordinator, Chris Banjo. At 6-4, 258 pounds, Enagbare uses his physicality and length to win one-on-one matchups against opposing offensive linemen.
Unlike with the Bengals and Packers, both Ossai and Engabare should receive significant snaps on the Jets rebuilt defense that plummeted from finishing in the top five in yards allowed from 2022-24 to 25th last year in Glenn’s first season. That prompted Glenn to fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with three games remaining in the season.
In addition to signing Davis, Ossai, and Enagbare, the Jets also acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins.
