Since the completion of training camp, Jets GM Darren Mougey has acquired 12 players (22.6%) who are on the active roster and half of those players were acquired via trade. While adding several draft assets in two blockbuster deals, Mougey also addressed immediate needs.
There are the recent deals that sent Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis for first-round draft picks in 2026 and '27 plus WR Adonai Mitchell; DL Quinnen Williams to Dallas for a second-round pick in '26 and a first-round pick in '27 plus DT Mazi Smith; and slot corner Michael Carter II was moved to Philadelphia for WR John Metchie III in a deal that involved a draft-pick swap.
Those deals have all the sizzle and promise to enable Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn to continue to build the foundation for the Green & White's future.
In the present, however, a couple of preseason deals -- with Minnesota for DL Harrison Phillips -- and with Cleveland -- for DL Jowon Briggs -- have been paying dividends ... right now.
The trade of Williams to the Cowboys has opened up more playing time for Briggs, who was the Browns' seventh round selection (No. 243 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft. He saw action in 6 games in his rookie season but now has been playing more of a role -- in Sunday's game at Baltimore, Briggs, 24, logged the Jets' only sack of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. He also had 5 tackles and has helped the defensive front disrupt the rushing attacks of New England and now Baltimore in consecutive games, earning more snaps and reps.
"Yeah, I really think he's backed it up," Phillips said on Monday, referring to Briggs' increased time on the field. "He's got his number called a handful of times now, and he's gone out there and he's produced. And it's super exciting to see a young player produce, to see where his ceiling is going to be in this league. I'm doing everything I can to help him grow and find that ceiling.
"One thing I'll mention, aside from the production, I can play the best game of my life and finish with an assisted tackle, right? So, the production is neither here nor there. But what's really cool is to see such a young player in this league have a high football IQ that he has. I mean, there's not a lot of Year 2 players that I've been with, specifically defensive line ... we're not known for our Wonderlic [a cognitive test] scores to have as much football IQ as he does.
"So when we're out there, we're able to communicate some things in a very short setting that allows us to be a little bit more productive in the run game. We're able to call a couple pass rush stances or shift the front or call a game, and be able to work off each other, because he understands concepts so well, and I haven't always had that with every player I've played with. So, kudos to Briggs and his SAT scores."
Briggs was part of a defense that limited Jackson to 11 rush yards on 7 attempts and largely held RB Derrick Henry to 64 yards on 21 attempts, though Henry did score TDs on a pair of short runs.
"It was all about eliminating 8 and 22," Briggs said, referring to Jackson and Henry. "So, really, you just go after those guys and attack the line of scrimmage. We want to get negative plays, no net-gain plays, make him check his feet, and we were doing a really good job of that."
LB Quincy Williams Chimes In
LB Quincy Williams, who had 6 tackles in the Jets' 23-10 loss to the Ravens, said he's been impressed with the play of D-linemen Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs. The Jets held the Ravens to 241 total yards and Baltimore was 2-of-11 on third down.
"These two guys are not easily moved, so the gaps are clear to run through and they can hold a double team, too," Williams said. "And Harry's come in very good, being the leader coming in when Quinn [Quinnen Williams] left, and then in that room, and then also, as far as the defense when I came back from my injury, he was one of the first guys I talked to, and I had to remind, 'it was just my team when I left.' That's one of the things we talked about. He's a great leader."
RT Armand Membou: Quiet, Solid and All Business
To say that rookie RT Armand Membou has had a quiet first season in the NFL would be a soaring understatement in more ways than one. The Jets' first-round selection (No. 7 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Missouri is a man of measured words who has let his stellar play on the field do the talking.
Through 11 games, Membou (6-4, 332) has taken every single snap -- 679 and counting -- on the Green & White's steady and solid 5-man offensive line, which has started that same handful in each and every game.
"I can't say enough good things about him," veteran center Josh Myers said on Monday. "You know, he's been so quiet I feel like over there all year, which is exactly what you want out of your tackle. So, yeah, he's grown a lot. He's smart. He can just so clearly handle everything that's being thrown at him. And, he's been really impressive."
Membou, 21, joins LT Olu Fashanu, 22, as the second-straight first-round pick along the offensive line in the Jets' past two drafts. The bookends have the potential to anchor the O-line for many years to come, protecting the QB and bossing the team's run game.
Overall, Membou has allowed 3 sacks and 21 pressures and quietly gone about his business.
"They're continuing to show the physicality level that we want as an offensive line," OC Tanner Engstrand said last week. "There are some clips every week where they're taking a down lineman and a double team and moving them five yards off the ball.
"I'm really encouraged, and I like where that group is at."
He added: "We've been in a good spot with our health up front this year. I think that's a big part of it is just that continuity where you got the same five guys playing each and every game."
