New York Jets Urged to Trade for Interior Defensive Lineman

Should the New York Jets trade for some help on the defensive line?

May 6, 2022; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis speaks with the media after Washington Commanders rookie minicamp at Inova Performance Center In Ashburn, VA. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

With Week 1 nearly here for the New York Jets, they are putting the finishing touches on what the roster is going to look like to start the season. 

The Jets have had a busy offseason making a lot of moves in free agency and the NFL Draft to put the best roster together possible to surround Aaron Rodgers. New York has the talent to be a very competitive team in the AFC, but no team in the league is ever perfect. 

Entering the 2024 season, the Jets are going to have one of the best defenses in the league, but they do have a few question marks. One of the areas that the Jets might be lacking in is on the defensive line. 

While the Haason Reddick holdout could cause issues on the edge for the Jets’ pass-rush, they also are lacking depth on the interior of the line. Recently, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department spoke about why the Jets should pursue Phidarian Mathis from the Washington Commanders. 

"Add Now: DT Phidarian Mathis, Washington Commanders (trade) The Jets' edge-rushing group is probably deep enough to deal with Reddick's absence in the short term. But it's hard to get too excited about the interior group outside of Quinnen Williams.”

“That could lead to a situation where New York should be looking at trade candidates to add some more punch to the inside of the defensive line.”

“The Commanders would be a good team to call as they have a lot of interior defensive linemen and just drafted Johnny Newton to play with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Former second-round pick Phidarian Mathis would play much more for the Jets.”

For New York, they are fortunate enough to have one of the best interior linemen in the league in Quinnen Williams manning the middle. However, depending on what defensive formation they are going to be in, they could use another body at the position to provide some depth. 

Phidarian Mathis was a former second-round pick by the Commanders from the University of Alabama. However, despite being a high pick, Mathis hasn’t done much for the Commanders and could be on the way out sooner rather than later. 

At 6’4”, 318 pounds, Mathis would give the Jets another big body in the middle. Even though things might not be working out for Mathis in Washington, he would likely get more opportunities with the Jets. 

Even though the New York defense is very good, adding some quality depth could help them for the long season.