New York Jets Urged To Sign Talented Edge Rusher Amid Defensive Questions

Should the New York Jets make a call and sign a talented edge rusher?

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) moves in to sack Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Jets got off to a poor start in Week 1, as they lost to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 32-19. 

While it was great to see Aaron Rodgers play most of the game for the Jets before being pulled late because of the contest was out of hand, New York’s defense really disappointed. 

On eight straight drives, the 49ers were able to score on the Jets, as the daunted unit coming into the season looked very pedestrian against a Super Bowl contender in San Francisco.

New York struggled to stop the run for the entire game. Jordan Mason was able to total 147 yards on the ground. Furthermore, the Jets also weren’t able to get much pressure on Brock Purdy as he was only sacked two times.

Due to the absence of Hasson Reddick, the pass-rush for New York was going to be carefully watched

Reddick definitely came out a winner after Week 1 because the Jets struggled to rush the passer for the entire night. 

With that being an issue, Bleacher Report recently spoke about how New York should try to bring in Yannick Ngakoue.

"The Jets could use at least one more guy who can get after passers if the defense is going to reach its potential. Even if/when Haason Reddick comes back, the Jets probably lost more than they gained at the position. Yannick Ngakoue is still a useful, albeit one-dimensional, edge-rusher who could fill out the room."

After seeing the lack of pass-rush from the Jets, adding some help in that area makes a lot of sense.

With the Chicago Bears last season, Ngakoue totaled four sacks, but the year prior he totaled 9.5 with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Whether or not the Jets have Reddick this season, they can clearly use some help on the edge to generate some pressure. 

While the 49ers are a very good team, the Jets’ defense certainly didn’t play up to expectations.

Moving forward, it will be a short week for New York as they are on the road again to play the Tennessee Titans.

Hopefully, their defense looks better than it did on Monday Night Football.