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You get the sense the Jets are going to play a lot of 3-4 defense this year.
They will mix in other fronts, but reading the tea leaves, it feels like there is going to be quite a bit of 3-4, which obviously means three defensive linemen and four linebackers.
When the Jets play 3-4, there is a good chance the three-man starting line will be David Onyemata, T’Vondre Sweat, and Harrison Phillips.
The starting outside linebackers will likely be Kingsley Enagbare and Joseph Ossai.
Obviously, first-round pick David Bailey will play a ton at outside linebacker, but as he works on his run defense, the base on first-down could be the two veterans, who are more advanced at stopping the run. Enagbare, especially, is a beast against the run. So coming out of the gate, Bailey could be more of a situational pass rusher, playing on obvious passing downs.
Yes, we have written that Phillips might be better as a #3 defensive tackle rotating in for starters Onyemata and Sweat, but if they play a lot fo 3-4, he might be the best option to fil that third role, at least until Darrell Jackson is ready for a bigger role.
Jackson is right out of central casting for the 3-4 end position, where you are looking for thick, tall ends with long arms who can take up double teams, freeing up the linebackers to make plays.
If you were building a 3-4 end in the lab, he could look like Jackson – 6’5 1/2″, 315 lbs, 34 3/4″ arms and 11″ hands.
The amazing thing about Jackson is how lean he is for such a big man. He carries the weight so well, so proportionately. I think I have more of a gut at 5-11, 170 than he does.
We know what most defensive tackles look like. I don’t mean this description as a pejorative, but they are often “chubby.” This guy is not – he’s a chiseled 315 pounds.
With the Jets likely using a lot of 3-4, Jackson is even better a fourth-round value than if they were playing a 4-3. He’s a perfect 3-4 end, the kind Bill Parcells used to salivate over. Jackson is what a perfect 3-4 end looks like . . .
Wide receiver Arian Smith had a nice grab over the middle on Tuesday.
Obviously, his rookie year was non-descript, finishing with seven catches.
But that offense was such a mess last year, not sure how much of his pedestrian initial campaign was his fault.
Justin Fields was the QB for nine games. He’s more of a Taysom Hill-type player who probably should be moved to another position.
He’s a great athlete with great speed and a rocket arm, but he doesn’t see the field well, an often holds the ball too long.
If you are not first read in his progressions, you are probably not getting the ball, and it stands to reason that when Smith got on the field, he wasn’t the first read.
Over the first-half of the season, before he got hurt, Garrett Wilson was often the first read, and Fields would often force the ball to him, whether he was open or not.
Look, I am not here to make excuses for Smith’s underwhelming rookie year, just calling balls and strikes.
The Jets’ offense last year was dysfunctional, and that is why veteran play-caller Frank Reich was hired to fix it.
So let’s see what Smith can do with Reich calling the plays, and Geno Smith at QB.
The tough part for Smith is he has to learn a new offense going from his rookie year to his second season, not ideal for a young player.
Just when he was getting comfortable in the old school, he know has to learn a new one.
Just like Adanoi Mitchell, who is now in his third NFL offense, between the Indianapolis Colts and Jets, and he’s still only 23 years old.
I asked him on Tuesday how challenging that is, and impressively, he quoted the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
June 3, 2026
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