The New York Jets have plenty of young defensive players with the potential to make a significant leap this season, such as second-year safety Tony Adams and fourth-year linebacker Jamien Sherwood.
Among all of these intriguing young pieces, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson is the likeliest breakout this season on the defense.
Johnson did not play a ton in his rookie season, only tallying 312 total snaps over 14 games (22.3 per game) as the Jets used him in a limited role. Johnson played 34% of the Jets’ defensive snaps in the games he appeared in, primarily being used against the run on early downs.