New York Jets Opt for 'Budget' Defensive Linemen Amidst Haason Reddick Chaos

The New York Jets kept three undrafted defensive linemen on the roster to allow for more options as the Haason Reddick drama unfolds.

Aug 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets defensive end Braiden McGregor (91) reacts to a defesive play against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets don't know what's going to happen with Haason Reddick, so they had to keep their options open on the defensive line.

As Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox examined each team's roster cuts to come up with one takeaway, his Jets one was that they opted to go the budget route for depth up front.

Three undrafted players made the roster across the line: Braiden McGregor, Eric Watts and Leonard Taylor III.

McGregor was highlighted as someone to watch in the last game of the preseason as someone that could play himself into a roster spot. That's exactly what he did.

In the game against the New York Giants, he picked up two sacks and lived up to the hype. He had flashed as a pass rusher, but hadn't cashed in with a sack until this game. Now he needs to focus on improving against the run to earn regular snaps.

The former Michigan Wolverine is fresh off of a National Championship win and now has the chance to help bring a Super Bowl back to New York.

Taylor was a disrusptive defender during his time with the Miami Hurricanes. He had six sacks with 23.5 tackles for a loss.

He's a force to be reckoned with in the passing game coming up from the middle. He had an impressive 2.5 sacks in the preseason. He offers a bit more versatility than most 300-pounders thanks to his athleticism, sometimes lining up against a tackle.

Similar to McGregor, Taylor looked much better against the pass than he did against the run.

He also has the quickest path to playing time of the three players as he does offer a lot as an interior guy, he just needs to be better in the run game.

Watts was similarly productive in college, albeit against a little bit worse competition at UCONN. 24 tackles for a loss and 10.5 sacks are nothing to laugh at, though.

The mammoth 6-foot-5, 277-pound lineman had four tackles and half a sack in the preseason. He had one stop in the run game. He was slightly more balanced in his attack compared to the others, but wasn't as productive.

His size does offer him some usage up in the middle in an emergency, but he worked mostly on the outside.

Going with three undrafted players in the depth keeps money around to help pay Reddick. They could also use the money pick up another veteran that either ends up getting cut or made available via trade.