The 2026 NFL offseason is well underway now with Super Bowl 60 in the rearview mirror with the Seattle Seahawks taking the title over the New England Patriots.
With the nature of every NFL offseason, changes made by teams such as the New York Jets will be the focus now. Can an injection of new talent and roster changes push the team toward a stronger 2026 season and future?
There is potential for that to be the case. But Pro Football Focus makes the case (and reminder) that players already on the Jets’ roster have an opportunity to have a “breakout” in 2026.
PFF selected one of every such player for all 32 NFL teams. For New York, defensive tackle Jowon Briggs was the choice.
Briggs being a potential breakout candidate for the Jets in 2026 can mostly be questioned for one reason: Didn’t he just have one of those last season?
Briggs was traded to by the Cleveland Browns to New York just before the start of last season for an exchange of late-round draft picks. That deal proved to be one of general manager Darren Mougey’s first masterstroke as a GM. The trade proved to be a smart one as Briggs impressed in his first year with the Jets.
In terms of looking forward on Briggs, here his PFF’s breakout on him as a potential “breakout” candidate:
Briggs experienced something of a breakout in 2025, which unexpectedly came in the form of pass-rush production. He earned an outstanding 85.6 PFF pass-rush grade this season while racking up 38 pressures. Briggs was known as more of a run stuffer in college and with the Cleveland Browns, but his PFF run-defense grade dipped to 55.5 this season. If he returns to form on the ground and maintains his excellent pass-rush numbers, he could quietly become a star in the Jets’ defense.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Who is a breakout candidate for the Jets in 2026?
Reporting by Nick Wojton, USA TODAY / Jets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
