Jermaine Johnson mentioned as Jets’ young riser entering Week 8

The New York Jets are coming off of their bye week from Week 7 and are set to take on the New York Giants with a 3-3 record. Aside from ranking the Jets 16th in their latest power rankings, ESPN also mentioned Jermaine Johnson as the team’s ‘young riser’ through the first seven weeks.

After seeing a limited role as a rookie in 2022, Johnson has stepped into a starting role off of the edge this season. With veteran Carl Lawson seemingly on the trade block, Johnson has started in all six games for the Jets so far, logging 18 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble.

Here is what ESPN’s Rich Cimini said about Johnson this season:

The Jets have a handful of gifted players under 25, including Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, but they all established themselves last season as rookies. Johnson, part of the same rookie class, was buried in a deep defensive-line rotation in 2022. But not anymore. After unseating starter Carl Lawson in the preseason, Johnson has played 64% of the defensive snaps, second only to Quinnen Williams among the linemen. He has two sacks, three passes defensed and holds up well against the run. He’s a three-down player whose arrow is pointed up.

While Johnson isn’t recording impressive sack numbers, he’s become a formidable run defender for the Jets. The first-round pick from a season ago is also fourth in total pressures (14) on the team, putting him behind Bryce Huff, Quinnen Williams, and John Franklin-Myers.

Following six games this season, the Jets have made it clear that they boast one of the best defensive units in the league again. Even though he isn’t bringing the quarterback down often yet, Johnson has steadily made improvements in his game.