Jets Notes: Analyzing Moves After Opening Day Of Nfl Free Agency

Context was needed to analyze the Jets' plan entering this offseason.

They began with $73 million in cap space – plenty to make a run at any of the top-tier targets in free agency. They also had $91 million in dead charges – financial resources allocated to players no longer on the team.

That’s an anomaly: So much cap space with so much dead money? That’s because the Jets really didn’t have anyone who was anyone on their roster. They set out this offseason needing to find at least 10 starters, plus depth, to make themselves competitive in 2026.

That $73 million evaporates quickly once you realize that.

Free agency wasn’t about big splashes. It was quantity over quality. That's exactly how the opening day of the legal tampering period played out.

Edge Joseph Ossai – three-years, $36 million

Ossai is a high-energy, motor player. He’ll miss some plays because he deals with some lower-body stiffness, but his hustle is infectious. He’s had five sacks each of the last two years.

Edge Kingsley Enagbare – one-year, $10 million

Like Ossai, there are some limitations to Enagbare’s game. His lack of athleticism leads to him missing plays others make, but his hustle and intensity elevate the game of others. He had 17 quarterback hits and 6.5 sacks as a situational rusher the last two years in Green Bay.

DT David Onyemata – one-year, $10.5 million

A 6-4, 300-pound run stuffer, Onyemata solidifies the interior of the Jets’ defensive line. While that’s his strength, he’s not a liability as a rusher. From 2018 through 2024, he had at least three sacks in six of seven seasons. While he had just one in 2025, he set a career-high in tackles (62).

LB Demario Davis – two-years, $22 million

The Jets set out this offseason looking for leadership. They found it 10-fold in Davis. The veteran returns to New York for his third stint in green. While at 37 years old he’s not the player he once was, he’s still pretty good. Davis finished 2025 with 143 tackles, half a sack, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

Safety Dane Belton – one-year, $6 million

Belton spent the first portion of his career with the Giants where he carved out a role for himself as the team’s No. 3 safety. He didn’t play more than 460 snaps until this season, where he started more, filling in for the injured Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland, but still registered six career picks. The ball just seems to find him. The Jets could use a bit of that after finishing last season with zero interceptions.

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick – three-years, $40 million (trade)

GM Darren Mougey continued his streak of taking advantage of the trade market. He snagged Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins for a seventh-round pick. While Fitzpatrick isn’t an elite-level player anymore, he’s still a pretty good safety. Head coach Aaron Glenn’s defense in Detroit took off with Brian Branch manning his secondary. The hope is that Fitzpatrick can be for the Jets what Branch was for the Lions.