Next John Abraham? Haason Reddick Provides New York Jets With Unique Skills

The Pro Bowl edge rusher traded for a conditional draft pick in 2026 to the New York Jets brings something that the organization has been missing for decades.

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets have had plenty of elite interior defenders over the years. Leonard Williams, Quinnen Williams, and Muhammad Wilkerson have all dominated on the interior.

It's at edge rusher where New York has struggled to find true stars, though.

Since Jonathan Abraham was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, the Jets have seen just edge defender Calvin Pace record a 10 sack season before Bryce Huff recorded one of his own last year. The lack of consistent ability to dominate on the edge has been a clear detriment to what have been some really excellent players on the defensive side of the ball.

That's where a player like Haason Reddick comes in.

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

When the Jets agreed to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles' top edge defender for a 2026 condiitional pick, New York brought forth a defensive player with the skillset greater than any player passed through at the current role over the last few decades.

In his last five seasons, Reddick has recorded 52 sacks - fifth-most of other players in the NFL. His 27 sacks and has a better average get-off and average time to pressure than Huff recorded last season. At 29 years old, the Temple product is still in his prime, and was Philadelphia's best overall defensive player the last two years.

It's why his arrival to New York is so important.

Whether you think Reddick is better now than when Abraham was tearing up offenses in the early 2000s, the former first-round pick of the Cardinals has been everything the Jets have been missing over the years. With Williams still an All-Pro caliber player, the expectation is that he will be less of a focus for opposing offenses with a dynamic edge defender like Reddick now wrecking havoc on the outside.

Comparing Reddick with a players as great as Abraham was with the Jets may be premature, but the Jets newest pass rusher could provide a spark the franchise hasn't had at a major p