Second-Year Jets Defender Could Be on Chopping Block After Rookie Minicamp

New York Jets defensive end Tyler Baron (94) following the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The New York Jets’ rookie minicamp is set to run from May 8 to 10 at Florham Park, giving fans a first glimpse at this year’s draft class. There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the 2026 class, as the Jets, for all intents and purposes, hit a home run with their selections after a disappointing 2025 season.

With rookies, undrafted free agents and tryout players all looking to win jobs on the 53-man roster, developments from minicamp can really up the pressure on some veterans who sit on the roster bubble this offseason.

One player in particular who could find himself on the short end of the stick is 2025 fifth-round pick Tyler Baron, whose underwhelming rookie season has him on thin ice.

Tyler Baron’s roster spot could be in jeopardy heading into his second year

As we all know, the Jets’ pass rush was non-existent last year, as they finished with 26 sacks (second-fewest in the NFL). The only team that had fewer sacks was the San Francisco 49ers, who had 20 and made the playoffs.

The Jets still had Jermaine Johnson II and Will McDonald IV, who combined for 11 sacks, but overall, the unit was a major disappointment at outside linebacker and defensive end. That said, with these struggles, the hope was that Baron could provide a spark, as he produced 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in his final season of college football at the University of Miami.

However, that production did not carry over to the pros, as Baron had nine combined tackles and a tackle for loss in six games. Baron played in four of the Jets’ first five games and received a season-high 25 defensive snaps in Weeks 3 and 5.

But the fifth-round pick quickly became a healthy scratch after the Jets lost to the Cowboys in Week 5, as he wasn’t showing improvement. In that game alone, Baron recorded two missed tackles, bringing his tackling grade down to 24.7. On the other hand, his pass rush grade was 58.2 and his run defense grade was 48.7, per Pro Football Focus.

Baron didn’t see the field for several weeks until Week 11 against the New England Patriots. He had three combined tackles and a tackle in 19 defensive snaps. There was some improvement from Baron, who posted a 60.4 run defense and a 58.3 pass rush grade.

Baron’s rookie season came to an end in Week 14, when he sustained a season-ending knee injury. It was the last thing anyone wanted to see, given how inconsistent his first year in the NFL was.

Fast forward to this offseason, and the Jets have made several additions to their pass rush and defensive line as a whole in free agency and the draft. This knocks Baron down the depth chart a few pegs and puts him in jeopardy of not making the team.

In fact, as I pointed out in our first 53-man roster projection, Baron could be a cut candidate at the end of preseason and signed to the practice squad. New York has a ton of talent at other positions, and they might want to keep an extra player or two for upside purposes that Baron didn’t show in Year 1.

Nonetheless, the next few months will be quite interesting for Baron, who will be playing behind several new faces and will try to hold off UDFAs and even veterans from taking his spot.