Jim Cerny
The New York Jets revamped their roster this offseason with a slew of new players. Quarterback Geno Smith, top draft pick David Bailey, and veteran linebacker Demario Davis are the biggest names added to the roster.
But not one of them is the biggest player the Jets added.
That would be defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat, who tips the scales at 366 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame.
“Big-ass dude!” offensive tackle Armand Membou said with a laugh, when asked Wednesday about going up against Sweat every day in practice.
Membou, who also stands 6-foot-4, is the heaviest member of Gang Green’s offensive line, yet still gives up 30 pounds to Sweat, who arrived from Tennessee in an offseason trade with the Titans. The Jets sent former Pro Bowl defensive end Jermaine Johnson to the Titans to acquire Sweat, a soon-to-be 25-year-old entering his third NFL season.
“He’s easy to pick out,” coach Aaron Glenn said in an understatement about the oversized interior lineman.
That’ll be even more true if Sweat stands out with his play this season. The Jets hope he taps into his rookie form when he started 16 games for the Titans in 2024, made 51 tackles (22 solo), had four tackles for loss, three QB hits, and even ran a fumble recovery back for 30 yards. He played 12 games last season, had two sacks and 34 tackles.
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Jets coach Aaron Glenn aware that the NFL is ‘a big man’s game’
The Jets are serious about getting bigger and better on the defensive line this season. They made strides in the right direction by acquiring Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in separate trades last season. Those two really helped solidify the interior of the line. In a 3-14 season when most everything went wrong, Phillips and Briggs were positives.
Now they brought in Sweat and David Onyemata to further fortify the interior, along with fourth-round pick Darrell Jackson out of Florida State. They also added Bailey and Joseph Ossai to help Will McDonald IV on the outside and edge.
If there’s a common thread, it’s that these are all big boys.
“It’s a big man’s game. It’ll always be a big man’s game,” Glenn explained. “For us to be able to add large men that have the ability that those guys have, the agility that those guys have only makes us better as a team. … Yes, that was a point of emphasis for us (this offseason).
“Not only big me. But big men that can move.”
Gang Green’s coach pointed out that, though it was a question about Sweat which sparked the conversation Wednesday, he wanted it known that it wasn’t only the interior defensive line where the Jets wanted to get bigger and better. Glenn pointed to the edge defensively, at linebacker, and on the offensive line, where the Jets aimed to accomplish similar goals since he and general manager Darren Mougey took over football operations in Florham Park prior to last season.
But to be clear, when it comes to big, the conversation starts with Sweat, as far as the Jets are concerned.
