All-Pro's Emergence Propels Jets' Position Group to No. 1 Status

The New York Jets' feature two starting linebackers with All-Pro credentials, accounting for a top-tier NFL unit.

Nov 24, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ; New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) tries to stop Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) in the second half at MetLife Stadium / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Quincy Williams lifted the unit to the next level.

Fresh off signing a three-year contract extension, the New York Jets' starting linebacker enjoyed a career year in 2023. Williams, who was picked up by the Jets after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, emerged as an All-Pro First Team performer.

Coupled with grizzled veteran CJ Mosley, the Jets feature one of the NFL's most-respected linebacking tandems.

As a unit, the Jets' linebackers sit first overall in the Pro Football Focus position group rankings. The Super Bowl LVIII runner-up San Francisco 49ers boast the No. 2 linebacking corps followed by the Chicago Bears at No. 3 overall.

"The Jets rostered two of the 10 highest-graded linebackers in the NFL last season. C.J. Mosleyand Quincy Williams were at their best in coverage, where they ranked first and second in PFF grade at the position, respectively."

The Jets' linebacking corps follows in the footsteps of the team's defensive line, which was ranked No. 1 overall amongst its position group peers by PFF earlier in the month.

"It's an exciting group to be a part of. It's an honor to coach these guys, because as good as they've been, like no one is happy with the results as of yet," said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich at the start of OTAs Phase 3 in May. "Statistically, we've ended in the top five, but ultimately winning is how we created a legacy in this League. So, until that happens, and we win, substantial wins and we hold that trophy together, we're not going to be done."

As for New York's two featured linebackers, Williams and Mosley have each made 100+ tackles every one of the last three seasons.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old Williams, who is the older brother of All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, is an emerging player. His tackles-for-loss season totals have increased by 3.0 three years in a row.

Mosley, a former first-round draft pick who spent his first five NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, enters the final year of a five-year contract he inked with the Jets in 2019. He earned All-Pro Second Team honors in 2022, but the 32-year-old did look slow at times in pass coverage last season, especially while defending Cleveland Browns' tight end David Njoku in a Week 17 loss.

When the defensive formation called for three linebackers, Jamien Sherwood was the choice in 2023 and seems in line to retain that role in 2024. The athletic Chazz Surratt and 2023 sixth-round linebacker Zaire Barnes are the reserves.