Jowon Briggs Speaks Out on New Role With Jets

Jowon Briggs was one of the lone bright spots on the Jets' defense last year, and now he will have the benefit of a full offseason to develop into his new role.

Nov 23, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Jowon Briggs (91) celebrates a sack during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Few things went right for the New York Jets last season. One thing that did, however, was their in-season acquisitions.

From slot cornerback Jarvis Brownlee to a collection of defensive tackles, the Jets were able to find cheap and realistic solutions to many of the team's needs. In some cases, they found multiple answers.

The clear example came at defensive tackle, where the Jets acquired Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in trades right before the start of the 2025 season. Phillips went on to be one of the better run defenders on the team. Briggs, meanwhile, was a difference-maker with four sacks, second-most on the team.

Now entering his first full offseason with Gang Green, and with an opportunity to build off of an exciting first season, Briggs believes the sky is the limit for his future in Florham Park.

Briggs Carves out new role on Jets defense

Like many positions on the Jets this season, Briggs will have to compete for playing time. The team acquired nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat in a trade with Tennessee, and signed David Onyemata in free agency.

There are plenty of veterans who could take Briggs' place if he isn't up to snuff.

And he recognizes there's still plenty to improve on.

"Any chance I get to expand my football repertoire, it's always open arms," Briggs said on an edition of The Official Jets Podcast. "I mean, it's just a good challenge, because the more I know about football, this is Year 3 for me, the more I know, the more I can do. And it's as simple as that for how I look at it."

Last season, Briggs was stuck playing on a schematically failing defense with man-principled players trying to fit in zone concepts. New York went through two different play-callers during the season which also led the group to a bottom-five finish in most categories.

This year is different. Head coach Aaron Glenn has taken the reins of defensive play-calling, calling it his "superpower" during the offseason. With Glenn taking on more responsibility, players like Briggs already see a shift in how the team is expected to play in 2026.

"I mean, there's something about that [playing defense] that's just intrinsic violence when it comes to freaking defensive ball, and Coach AG exemplifies that," Briggs said. "I mean, if you want a guy that's going to make you want go out there and run with your hair on fire, just a whole defensive staff, that's AG, Duker, [D-line] Coach [Karl] Dunbar. Man, I can't wait."

In many ways, it's easy to say that it can't get worse for the Jets' defense after last season. There were so many things that went wrong on both sides of the ball for the organization.

Briggs was not one of them, though. He is a cog in the defensive front that New York wants to rely on more than others this season. And if he can build off of what was an impressive first season in Florham Park, it might set him up for a strong payday in the future.