As part of the ramp up for the 2024 NFL season, Pro Football Focus has been releasing their position rankings. As part of this series, they rated linebackers, and the New York Jets fared very well.
Both C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams rated as top 12 linebackers, with the former ranking 5th and the latter ranking 12th.
For Mosley, they wrote the following:
Coming off a career year in which he earned a 90.6 PFF coverage grade at 31 years old, Mosley is enjoying a late-career second breakout after the beginning of his Jets tenure was hindered by injury and COVID-19. He finished 2023 with 60 tackles resulting in a defensive stop and forced a pair of fumbles.
For Williams, they wrote the following:
2023 was a career year for Williams, who set career highs with an 81.1 PFF overall grade and a 70.4 run-defense grade. And his 88.7 PFF coverage grade wasn’t just a career-best mark, but it was also the second-best figure among all linebackers.
As noted in both write-ups, Williams and Mosley excel in coverage, which sets the Jets up especially well to defend modern offenses, as the league has become so pass heavy.
The New York Jets linebackers were one of only two duos that both made the top 12, further reflecting the quality of this unit. The other duo was from the Chicago Bears, with T.J. Edwards ranking 9th and Tremaine Edmunds ranking 11th.
This bodes rather well for the Jets. In fact, ranks like this would often reflect the strength of a defense. However, the New York Jets cornerback group is so strong that the linebackers often fly a bit under the radar in the grand scheme of the roster. Regardless, Mosley and Williams are among the league’s best at their position and will surely be major contributors in any Jets’ defensive success in the upcoming season.
