The New York Jets now have Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey in town and it’s going to be interesting to see how the duo handle free agency.
New York has some holes to fill and free agency somehow is roughly one month away from now. The Jets don’t have long until they have to make some more tough decisions and The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt made a hypothetical 10-step plan for the Jets to improve this offseason. One idea Rosenblatt floated was signing former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike.
“Glenn is trying to install his culture, and the best way for any coach to go about doing that is to bring in players who understand his approach, his style and what he is looking for,” Rosenblatt said. “It helps that the best player in this trio, Onwuzurike, would fill a need too. He dealt with injuries early in his career but played in 16 games last season, his first full season with a significant role since the Lions drafted him in the second round in 2021.
“He’s still only 26 with room to improve, and he shouldn’t come at a significant cost — PFF is only projecting a two-year, $16.5 million deal. The previous regime failed to put decent defensive tackles next to Quinnen Williams in 2024, and Onwuzurike would be a major upgrade. He was 16th among defensive tackles in pressures last season (45) and seventh in hits (13). The Jets would still need to add a run-stopping defensive tackle.”
Onwuzurike is just 26 years old and had 1.5 sacks and 28 total tackles last year in Glenn’s system in Detroit. He was a second-round pick in 2021 and had 13 quarterback hits last year in 16 games. Injuries have played a role in his career so far, but he could be a buy-low candidate with upside. Onwuzurike had a four-year rookie deal worth just over $8.1 million and is projected to land a two-year deal worth just over $9 million now.
He’s familiar with Glenn and won’t cost much. This seems like a perfectly fair idea.
