Jets DT Byron Cowart knows what he is and has a goal for what he could become.

"I've been a journeyman," he said on Monday, the first day of training camp Jets players spent in pads.

Perhaps it wasn't supposed to be that way. Especially since Cowart (6-3, 300) was ranked as the No. 1 overall high school recruit by ESPN and Rivals coming out of Armwood in Seffner, FL, in 2015, when he committed to Auburn. He saw limited time on the field his first two seasons, decamping for Hillsborough CC in 2017 before transferring to Maryland in 2018.

"I want to be grounded somewhere," Cowart, 29, told reporters at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "I started in New England, I was there for three years [after being selected in the fifth round, No. 159 overall of the NFL Draft in 2019]. And then from there, just Indianapolis, Houston, Miami, Chicago last year, and then out here. So it's a blessing to still be in it. Obviously, I need to perform better to be able to make a team. I want to spend a little bit more time with me. But it's a blessing, this being Year 7 [with five teams] for me. So I just want to keep going as long as I can."

With the Bears last season, Cowart played in 15 games (7 starts) and overlapped with Jets defensive line coach Eric Washington. He totaled 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 4 QB hits. Over his NFL career he's started 21 of the 51 games he's played in and has 67 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 7 QB hits in his NFL career. He's had his most consistent playing time the past two seasons, checking in with 17 games with Indianapolis in 2023 and his 15 last season in the Windy City.

Cowart does have a level of comfort with Washington, the Jets' first-year D-line coach, who served as Chicago's defensive coordinator last season.

"I knew him as a coach in Chicago, he was the DC so now it's new to actually be his guy, as far as his position group. As I said, in Chicago he was over the defense, but seeing him as a position coach now it's new to me because I didn't have him as a position coach last year. He's a guy that's fiery. I've had some familiarity with him just watching the guys he coached in Buffalo, Ed Oliver. I mean, it's new to me, just trying to buy into his system, and do what he asks of us."

Cowart, who signed with the Jets in free agency, joins a room that is led by Quinnen Williams, but where Cowart will be competing with the likes of veterans Derrick Nnadi, Jay Tufele and Phidarian Mathis, second-year man Leonard Taylor III, and rookies Tyler Baron and Fatorma Mulbah (an undrafted free agent).

"I just love this group," he said. "I want everybody to eat. Let's go eat, because you never know who you're going to have at the end of the camp. Let's all take advantage of the opportunity. Young guy, old guy, I'm learning from Fatorma, certain stuff. I have an open mind, so it's like, hey, let's just all work as a group, as a unit, as a group because you know we got joint practices, we got games, so this is the group."