Jets' free agency move doesn’t mean first round draft pick is a bust

The Jets sat back and watched as the Philadelphia Eagles signed their young star pass rusher Bryce Huff on the first day of free agency. Once it was clear Huff was gone, many believed that New York would turn to last year’s first round pick Will McDonald IV to fill the void left by Huff’s departure.

But last week the Jets made a trade with the same Eagles that took Huff for their star pass rusher, Haason Reddick which left many wondering what that means for McDonald. Would he see the same amount of playing time as last year, a measly 184 snaps? Will the Jets look to create some cap space by releasing Jonathan Franklin-Myers? Will McDonald simply become another in a long history of Jets’ first-round busts?

The answer to these questions is no, no, and maybe.

We haven’t seen much of McDonald since being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft out of Iowa State. While he wasn’t a consensus first round pick, nobody would deny his pass rush ability. The problem is that he is a one trick pony in that regard. His slender frame and bend are fantastic for coming around the edge but doesn’t hold up much in the run game.

With the Jets playing from behind most of 2023 with their putrid offense, the ability to let loose as pass rushers never materialized. So, McDonald waited on the bench.

But the 2024 Jets, complete with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, a newly rebuilt offensive line and Mike Williams on the outside, they are hoping to play with a lead far more often. With a lead, comes more pass rush opportunities on defense. And with Robert Saleh’s coaching philosophy, that means all hands-on deck.

Saleh wants rotation along his defensive line. “The objective really for the entire D-line is to not have any of them play more than 40 snaps in a game. That’s the goal... We ask so much out of our D-line that if you can go four plays in a row or play 90 percent, then you’re probably BS’ing on the football field, in our mind and you’re not executing the technique as it’s designed” Saleh said in 2021.

Without boring you with the numbers, it is safe to say that Saleh truly believes in this philosophy and stays as true to it as he can. There is opportunity for players to get significant snaps if they are deserving of the playing time.

Reddick will be a starter. And the 30-year old understands he has a lot of wisdom accumulated over seven years in the NFL. And to the Jets’ benefit, he is happy to share that knowledge with McDonald.