Jets' Marcelino McCrary-Ball: Returning to New York
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The Jets re-signed McCrary-Ball (hamstring) on Thursday, Eric Allen of the team's official site reports.
The linebacker was an exclusive rights free agent. McCrary-Ball appeared in just five games for the Jets in 2025 due to a hamstring injury, though he did finish with a career-high 23 tackles (11 solo). He played on 106 defensive snaps last year after seeing just three in 2023 and '24 combined.
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Jets' Jowon Briggs: Retained by Jets
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The Jets exercised their exclusive rights tender on Briggs on Thursday, Eric Allen of the team's official site reports.
New York extended the contract tender to the defensive tackle, meaning Briggs either has to accept the one-year offer or sit out. Briggs grew into a rotational player for New York in 2025, playing 586 defensive snaps and recording 38 tackles (19 solo), including 4.0 sacks, and a forced fumble.
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Titans' Jermaine Johnson: Traded to Titans
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The Jets have agreed to trade Johnson to the Titans in exchange for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick, will reunite with new Tennessee head coach Robert Saleh. The talented pass rusher had a down year in terms of production in 2025, racking up 43 tackles (22 solo) including just 3.0 sacks across 14 regular-season appearances, but that can be partially explained by the fact that Johnson was working his way back from a right Achilles' tear suffered the year prior. He also had two pass breakups. Back in 2023, Johnson tallied 7.5 sacks while playing all 17 regular-season games. As the Jets have already exercised Johnson's fifth-year option, he will play out the 2026 campaign with the Titans on the final year of his rookie deal. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the trade will officially process at the start of the new league year March 11.
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Jets' Marcelino McCrary-Ball: Limited to five games in 2025
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McCrary-Ball (hamstring) had 23 tackles (11 solo) in five appearances in 2025.
McCrary-Ball missed Weeks 4 through 11 due to a hamstring injury, then returned for two weeks before aggravating the injury and missing the remainder of the season. He had at least five tackles in four of his five appearances to set a career high in that category after notching only seven tackles across his first two NFL campaigns. The linebacker is an Exclusive Rights Free Agent heading into his age-27 season.
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Jets' Jarvis Brownlee: Plays nine games in 2025
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Brownlee (hip) finished the 2025 season with 53 tackles (35 solo) and three passes defensed in nine games split between the Titans and Jets.
Brownlee didn't play after Week 11 due to a hip injury that eventually landed him on injured reserve. He played in two games for Tennessee before being traded to the Jets, with whom he was working as the slot cornerback prior to getting hurt. Brownlee has the inside track on the slot cornerback spot for 2026, barring any notable offseason additions to the Jets' secondary or setbacks with his recovery.
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Jets' Jowon Briggs: Strong performance after trade
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Briggs had 4.0 sacks among his 38 tackles (19 solo) in 2025.
Briggs was a quiet success story for the Jets after being acquired in a preseason trade with the Browns. The 2024 seventh-round pick appeared in all 17 games for the Jets, starting the last eight after the team traded away Quinnen Williams. Even if the Jets bolster the interior of their defensive line in the offseason, Briggs showed enough ability to generate pressure from the inside to earn at least a rotational role in 2026.
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Jets' Harrison Phillips: Notches 60 tackles in healthy 2025
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Phillips recorded 60 tackles (22 solo), including 0.5 sacks, and two passes defensed across 17 appearances in 2025.
After coming over in a trade from Minnesota shortly before the start of the regular season, Phillips proceeded to play in all 17 regular-season games for the fourth consecutive campaign and reached the 60-tackle mark for only the second time in his eight-year NFL career. His cap hit will climb from $4.2 million in 2025 to $7.5 million in 2026, but given Phillips' solid on-field production and off-field leadership coupled with the Jets' lack of depth on the interior of the defensive line, the Jets will likely be willing to eat that increase for his age-30 season.
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Jets' Malachi Moore: Tops 100 tackles as rookie
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Moore registered 101 tackles (56 solo), three passes defensed and a forced fumble across 17 appearances in 2025.
Moore was one of the few bright spots for the Jets in a forgettable season. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Alabama finished second on the team in tackles behind Jamien Sherwood's 154, and Moore forced one of the Jets' league-low four takeaways. The Jets have plenty of holes to fill heading into 2026, but they seem to have found a starting safety in Moore.
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Jets' Jermaine Johnson: Down year in return from Achilles'
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Johnson recorded 43 tackles (22 solo), including 3.0 sacks, and two passes defensed across 14 appearances in 2025.
Johnson wasn't quite the same player in his return from a Sept. 2024 right Achilles' tendon tear. The 2022 first-round draft pick had 7.5 sacks and seven passes defensed in his Pro Bowl 2023 season prior to the injury. Perhaps being another year removed from the injury will help Johnson bounce back in 2026, when he will play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, which the Jets exercised this past April. Johnson remains locked in as a starting edge rusher for the Jets.
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Jets' Quincy Williams: Dips to 83 tackles in 2025
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Williams (hand) recorded 83 tackles (45 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and seven passes defensed across 13 appearances in 2025.
Williams fell short of 100 tackles for the first time in five seasons with the Jets as injuries and age took their toll on the 29-year-old linebacker. He dealt with shoulder and hand injuries throughout the season and exited the regular-season finale as the latter injury flared up on him. The Jets traded away Quincy's brother Quinnen Williams during the 2025 season and are unlikely to retain the remaining Williams brother in free agency.
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Jets' Jamien Sherwood: Second straight 150-tackle season
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Sherwood recorded 154 tackles (71 solo), including 2.0 sacks, as well as eight passes defensed while playing all 17 games in 2025.
Sherwood posted similar numbers to his 158-tackle campaign in 2024, leading the Jets in tackles for the second consecutive season. Having signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Jets in March, Sherwood's poised to reprise his role as the team's top middle linebacker for his age-26 season in 2026.
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Jets' Quincy Williams: Dealing with hand injury
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Williams (hand) is questionable to return to Sunday's contest against the Bills.
Williams suffered an apparent hand injury in the third quarter, and his status for the rest of the game is now in question. In his absence, Mykal Walker is a top candidate to see increased reps at linebacker versus Buffalo.
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Jets' Brandon Stephens: Ruled out for Week 18
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Stephens (neck) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills.
Stephens was a limited participant in Thursday's practice with a new neck injury before downgrading to a non-participant in Friday's session. The cornerback will end his season one game short, logging 73 tackles (47 solo) and nine passes defensed over 16 games. With fellow cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee) also ruled out, either Keidron Smith or Tre Brown will start at cornerback alongside Jordan Clark for Week 18.
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Jets' Micheal Clemons: Not playing vs. Buffalo
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Clemons (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills.
Clemons was held out of practice all week due to an ankle injury and won't suit up for Sunday's regular-season finale. The fourth-year pro will end the 2025 regular season with 22 tackles (nine solo), including 1.0 sacks, and two pass defenses across 16 games. Eric Watts will serve as the Jets' top rotational defensive end behind Jermaine Johnson and Braiden McGregor in Clemons' absence.
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Jets' Brandon Stephens: Questionable for Week 18
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Stephens (neck) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.
Stephens popped up on Thursday's injury report as a limited practice participant due to a neck issue. He was given the questionable tag for Sunday's regular-season finale despite not practicing Friday, and his status may not be officially known until the Jets announce their list of inactive players approximately 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee) has already been ruled out, so Tre Brown and Keidron Smith could be the Jets' two starting outside cornerbacks if Stephens also doesn't play.
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Jets' Qwan'tez Stiggers: Won't play Sunday
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Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Friday that Stiggers (knee) is ruled out for the team's season finale against the Bills on Sunday.
Stiggers will miss Sunday's season finale due to the knee injury he suffered versus the Patriots in Week 17, bringing his 2025 campaign to an end with 27 tackles (17 solo), three passes defensed and two fumble recoveries across 15 regular-season appearance. The 2024 fifth-round pick will stand to spend the coming offseason competing to earn a role in New York's cornerback rotation for the 2026 campaign.
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Jets' Brandon Stephens: Working through neck issue
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Stephens (neck) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.
The injury appears to be a new issue for Stephens, given that he was not listed on Wednesday's practice report. He dealt with the same issue in mid-October but was ultimately cleared to play against the Broncos in Week 6, so Friday's practice report should shed light on his chances of playing in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bills. The Jets could be without their top outside corners in Stephens and Qwan'tez Stiggers (knee) in Week 18, which would open the door for Keidron Smith and Tre Brown to take on larger roles in the secondary.
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Jets' Qwan'tez Stiggers: Misses practice Wednesday
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Stiggers (knee) did not practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.
Stiggers suffered a knee injury this past Sunday against New England and couldn't finish the loss. The extent of the issue isn't clear, but it's certainly not a good sign that he wasn't able to practice in any capacity to begin this week. Should Stiggers be sidelined Sunday against Buffalo, Jordan Clark could absorb most of his cornerback reps.
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Jets' Quincy Williams: Six tackles in loss
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Williams recorded six tackles (five solo) in the Jets' loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
Williams played 96 percent of the defensive snaps against New England and has now logged 80 tackles (42 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and six pass breakups on 91 percent of the defensive snaps across 12 appearances this season.
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Jets' Malachi Moore: Seven tackles in loss
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Moore recorded seven tackles (four solo) and one pass breakup in the Jets' loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
Additionally, Moore caught a three-yard pass on a fake punt against New England. The fourth-round rookie defensive back has logged 91 tackles (53 solo), three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across 16 appearances this season.
