Darrell Jackson Jr. Could Play a Bigger Role as David Onyemata Injury Lands on Jets' IR to Begin Week 3

The veteran DT will miss at least four games, opening the door for his rookie teammate to step up.

Since David Onyemata can't suit up against the Lions in Week 3, the Jets may turn to rookie DT Darrell Jackson Jr. to take on an expanded role. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's only two games into the 2026 NFL season, and the Jets' latest draft class hasn't exactly been making a ton of noise. While David Bailey has flashed his pass-rushing potential and Kenyon Sadiq already has his first career touchdown, Omar Cooper Jr. is on the injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, and four draft picks have yet to play even one snap for one reason or another.

Other than Bailey and Sadiq, fourth-round selection and defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. is the only drafted rookie to play in both games. Although the former Florida State Seminole has only seen 21 defensive snaps in his early professional career, fellow Jets DT David Onyemata's latest injury situation could force Jackson to play a bigger role in Week 3.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Jets finally gave an update on Onyemata's outlook after picking up a groin injury in the loss to the Packers, only to be ruled out by the end of halftime. Unfortunately, it wasn't good news: ESPN's Rich Cimini reported that Onyemata—as well as wideout Arian Smith and linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball—was placed on IR. The aforementioned trio will now miss at least four games.

The Jets are placing three players on IR, per source: WR Arian Smith, DT David Onyemata and LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball. #Jets

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) September 22, 2026

Signed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract in free agency, the 33-year-old defender was brought in to be a featured player in head coach Aaron Glenn's defense, proven by his being tied for the most snaps among New York's defensive linemen in Week 1 (35).

Now, with Onyemata unavailable for the foreseeable future, the Jets might have no choice but to ask for more from Jackson against the Lions in Week 3 and beyond.

David Onyemata injury could open the door for Jets to increase Darrell Jackson Jr.'s snap count

A fourth-round pick out of FSU, Jackson is the Jet most likely to see increased action now that Onyemata is out for at least four games. After all, the rookie DT already saw a slight boost in his snap count after Onyemata's early exit, finishing Week 2 with 13 defensive snaps compared to eight in the previous week.

A five-snap difference might seem insignificant at first glance, sure, but a 62.5% increase in defensive opportunities isn't anything to scoff at. Jackson even made the most of his increased playing time, finishing with a pair of tackles and 67.8 run defense and 68.7 tackling grades that were slightly up from marks of 66.2 and 67.3, respectively, in his NFL debut, per Pro Football Focus.

Darrell Jackson Jr. has been solid so far, and now it's time to see what he can do in an expanded role with the Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A bigger opportunity to impress doesn't mean that the Jets will give all of Onyemata's snaps to Jackson, though.

Harrison Phillips is back for his second season with New York and averages 29.5 defensive snaps per game, while offseason addition T'Vondre Sweat saw his snap count increase from 15 to 33 on a week-to-week basis. Jowon Briggs—who played 35 snaps last week—is also off to a strong start with a career-high 84.5 PFF grade, making it clear that the Jets have a path to giving Jackson more experience without overloading him.

Regardless of how much everyone will play, though, the Jets need all hands on deck to beat the Lions, who are out for revenge after losing to the Bills in Week 2. Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the NFL's most dangerous running backs and can turn the smallest openings into the biggest gains, and has already amassed 208 rushing yards, two touchdowns and an NFL-leading 16 first downs on 45 carries this season.

In other words, it will be paramount for every Jets DT to bring their best to the table on Sunday.

Jackson won't silence the Lions' run game on his own, but no one should expect him to. That said, diamonds can be squeezed out when the pressure is at its highest, and stepping up during Onyemata's absence would go a long way toward Jackson showing the Jets what he's capable of and what his future might look like.

Get Jets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.