2026 New York Jets training came preview: Defensive ends

Training camp began for the New York Jets and there is plenty of optimism surrounding the team in 2026. By most accounts, the team had a terrific offseason adding quality veterans with familiarity playing for head coach Aaron Glenn and also set themselves up for a nice future with their 2026 NFL draft class at key positions.

Jets Wire will break down each position and focus on key matchups as well as discuss a player that has plenty to prove to this coaching staff in 2026.  For our next position breakdown, we look at the defensive ends:

Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson, Braiden McGregor, Eric Watts, Tyler Baron

The Jets were terrible at getting after the quarterback last season, ranking second to last in the league with 26 sacks. While McDonald’s numbers look decent on paper, four of his eight sacks were in one game. Johnson wasn’t the same after returning from an achilles injury, finishing his final season in New York with only three sacks. McGregor and Watts did relatively nothing in their second seasons with the team.  Baron was drafted in the fifth round in the 2025 draft and played sparingly in six games before suffering a season-ending injury.

Will McDonald, David Bailey, Kingsley Enagbare, Joseph Ossai, Braiden McGregor, Tyler Baron

It will be a decision that will be debated for the foreseeable future. The selection of Bailey over Ohio State LB/DE Arvell Reese, who was selected by the New York Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft. 

Bailey has looked very impressive early in training camp with his speed off the edge and pass-rush ability.  He’s still shaky against the run, but so far, the Jets are getting exactly what they hoped for when they selected him with the second overall pick.

Ossai has yet to practice, but should be ready for the start of the season. He’s versatile, as is Enagbare, and can play both defensive end as well as outside linebacker. Ossai is only 26 years old and is coming off a five sack season last year with the Bengals. Enagbare’s strength is against the run, but he can also pressure the quarterback, which should allow head coach Aaron Glenn the ability to be creative with his defenders and give opposing offenses different looks on rushing and passing downs. 

The Jets exercised McDonald's fifth-year option, but his future with the team is questionable at best. He's been fine, but not exactly the difference maker the Jets were hoping for when they selected him with the 15th overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft.  The addition of Bailey on the outside should help McDonald generate more pressures on the quarterback this year as more of a situational pass-rusher.

Braiden McGregor vs. Tyler Baron

How is this a key matchup? Yes, it's grasping at straws a bit, but the other defensive ends on the roster are here to stay, so we focus on two players who will probably have to scratch and claw for a spot on the team's practice squad.

One thing is for certain. You can never have too much depth at defensive end, especially with the number of injuries that pop up all through training camp and the preseason.  It's also about performing well enough to get the coach's attention to make their final decision more difficult at the end of the day. If not for the Jets, then perhaps another team that could be combing the waiver wire after final cuts to try and improve their roster.

McGregor has been mostly a spot player over his last two seasons since being signed as a UDFA out of Michigan after the 2024 draft.  He played 12 games last year and got the first sack of his career.  Outside of that, he hasn’t been overly impressive in the small sample size of playing time in two years under two different defensive coordinators.

Baron was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft.  He only played six games and did have four pressures.  Most draft analysts killed the selection of Baron because it was hard to see what was so special for the Jets to trade up ten spots to select him with a day three pick. He suffered a season-ending injury against the Dolphins in Week 14, which hurt his chances of getting more experience in a lost season. It's a bit premature to run him out of town after only six games and label him a bust. He'll be given plenty of chances in the preseason to improve on a forgettable rookie year. While McGregor has more experience, the fact that Glenn drafted Baron could give him the advantage to stick around in some capacity.

Will McDonald

When the Jets selected McDonald with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, it was definitely a surprising pick. He wasn't projected to go that high on any draft board and it looked like at the time, Robert Saleh and former Jets GM Joe Douglas didn't know who to take once their initial targets were selected by other teams. The former first-round pick has not been as elite as expected and while he's had some solid games rushing the quarterback, most draft analysts are wondering how good the Jets offense would be had they selected Jaxon Smith-Njigba with that 15th overall pick instead of McDonald.

McDonald heads into his fourth season with plenty to prove.  The Jets have him signed through next year, but he'll also be seeking leverage for a new contract with a strong season. He has plenty of pass-rush ability but hasn't been consistent and he's not very good against the run.  His sack numbers slightly dipped from the previous year and four of his eight sacks came in one game against the Cleveland Browns. It’s not entirely his fault as Jermaine Johnson's regression really hurt his chances of getting after the quarterback. It also didn't help that for a good portion of the season, he had a terrible defensive coordinator in Steve Wilks. But, it also doesn't change the fact that he's not living up to the expectations of a first-round pick regardless of whether he was deserving of that selection or not.

Similar to defensive line, the Jets focused on adding plenty of depth at edge rusher.  Bailey has potential to be one of the best pass rushers in the league this season, which should allow McDonald to also be dangerous off the edge.  Ossai and Enagbare’s versatility will allow Glenn to show plenty of different looks, especially against the run, where Bailey and McDonald struggle the most.

The main four ends seem set with McDonald, Bailey, Ossai and Enagbare.  While Baron wasn’t very good in his rookie season, he deserves more time to see if he can improve in year two with the team.  McGregor feels like the odd man out in this group as it doesn't look like he's made any progress in two years. Between the additions on the defensive line as well as at defensive end, this is the strongest the Jets have looked on paper with a unique blend of speed and versatility that should give opposing offenses plenty of fits all season. 

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: 2026 New York Jets training came preview: Defensive ends