Eric Watts' Days With Jets Are Numbered Heading into Training Camp

With training camp on the horizon, it is clear that some players have improved their roster chances more than others following solid performances at OTAs and minicamp.

While that may be the case for a select few who entered the offseason facing some pressure to perform, the same does not hold true for someone like defensive end Eric Watts, who did not provide a lot of optimism in Year 2 with the Jets.

Watts went undrafted to the Jets in 2024 out of Connecticut and provided a glimmer of hope during his rookie season with five QB pressures in 102 pass rush opportunities, per Pro Football Focus.

Despite that, he took a step back in 2025 with only one pressure in 52 opportunities and heads into the 2026 season facing a lot more competition after the offseason upgrades that were made to the defensive unit.

Eric Watts' Jets future in doubt

Watts saw his pressure rate drop from 4.9% to 1.9% last season and allowed receptions on his only two targets for 29 yards and TD as his struggles in pass rush and coverage were on full display.

He was impactful during his collegiate career at UConn with 10.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss, but the lack of improvement in his second NFL season already put him on thin ice heading into the draft and made his future in Gang Green a bleak one to say the least.

This was a Jets defense that allowed the fourth-most rush yards per game (139.5) and ranked near the bottom of the league with just 26 sacks last season, so it was expected that general manager Darren Mougey would make some moves over the offseason to shore up some of those issues from 2026.

He did exactly that by trading for former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, acquiring DEs Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency and selecting David Bailey with the No. 2 pick in the draft.

In addition, Watts is also behind the team's 2025 sack leader Will McDonald IV, veteran Harrison Phillips, Mazi Smith, David Onyemata and Braiden McGregor, not to mention fellow third-stringers Darrell Jackson Jr. and Jowon Briggs.

However, when you consider that most of that group will likely make the roster, maybe aside from the uphill battles that Smith and McGregor could face, Watts may be in a fight for one of potentially two defensive lineman spots remaining on a team that listed 10 DL on its initial 53-man roster one season ago.

If you factor in the projected depth chart as things currently stand, it does not look favorable for Watts. This was a player who appeared in 14 games and played 231 defensive snaps in 2024, totaling 13 tackles and five hurries. That rotational role took a back seat last season when Watts was primarily on the practice squad and only played four games in the second half of the season.

There is no doubt that Watts needs a miracle to make this roster when you combine the lack of a role he had in 2025 and the improvements the Jets made around him on the DL.

While a special teams role cannot be ruled out and may be his best shot at making the 53-man roster, Watts has done nothing so far this offseason to stand out and show that he is deserving of a spot over those around him that have either outperformed him or have had more success previously.

Perhaps a strong showing in training camp or preseason play will be enough to help him claim one of the final roster spots, but the lackluster 2025 season and talent around him point to Watts facing an uphill battle to make the team.

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