Not much has gone right for the New York Jets this season. Of course, not much has gone right for the organization over the last 16 years.
That said, there are positives to look at across the board for New York. Their young core, led by the last two draft classes, has borne quality starters across the board. The 2026 class, in particular, has seen several starters sprout in their first season.
An underrated name along that list is fourth-round pick Darrell Jackson Jr. The Florida State product was brought in as a project along the defensive line. Injuries, though, have brought his play into the limelight.
And that’s only going to continue over the next several weeks.
New York hoped to use Jackson this season in a limited role as he learned how to play in the NFL. That changed when veteran defensive tackle David Onyemata was lost, potentially for the year. It’s about to change even more after T’Vondre Sweat left Sunday’s loss to Miami with a knee injury.
Sweat’s injury is a massive blow to New York’s already struggling run defense. He has been the Jets’ best run defender by far. Without him, the team will be relying on Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs to carry the load.
Jackson will need an uptick in snaps as well.
So far, though, the rookie has proven up to the task. Jackson has proven to be above average in run defense by Pro Football Focus—ranking him as the 42nd-best player among interior defensive linemen. More importantly, he possesses an 11.4% run stop rate, which is third amongst players in his role. In his last three games, Jackson has recorded four pressures, a sack, a QB hit, and two batted passes.
To summarize? The Jets have something competent in Jackson. With more playing time, and a little more seasoning, they could end up coming away with an every down starter in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
For a team that has struggled so much on Day Three of the NFL Draft, Jackson’s play has been a welcome sign.
But it’s only getting started. Due to the team’s immense struggles at stopping the run, Jackson will be under even more pressure and play more snaps. While that can be seen as a good thing, it also lends itself to offensive linemen learning the tips and tricks Jackson uses. What makes him effective now could be obsolete by Week 10.
It’s why this test without Sweat on the field will be a good barometer of how far Jackson still needs to go, and if the team has more than just a spot performer on the field.
At the very least, there’s more to Jackson that fans will get to discover.
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