The New York Jets finished second-last in the NFL with just 26 sacks last season, a bottom-tier number that forced general manager Darren Mougey into an aggressive overhaul of the entire pass-rush unit this offseason.
The sack leader race heading into 2026 is genuinely competitive in a way it hasn’t been in years, with a No. 2 overall pick, a veteran free-agent signing, and a returning incumbent all in the mix.
The field breaks down into three real candidates: Will McDonald IV, David Bailey, and Joseph Ossai. Here is how each one profiles heading into the season.
The Jets’ Pass Rush Was Historically Bad – The Overhaul Was Non-Negotiable
The Jets weren’t just slightly below average last season – they were a systemic disaster on the edge.
Their non-blitz pressure rate sat at just 25.8%, and their overall pressure rate of 28.3% ranked among the worst marks in the entire league.
Through their Week 9 bye, the Jets had generated only 11 sacks, tied for 30th in the NFL, per coverage tracking their defensive production.
Coach Aaron Glenn needed a complete reset at edge rusher, and Mougey delivered one – drafting Bailey at No. 2 overall, signing Ossai to a three-year, $34.5 million deal, and adding Kingsley Enagbare as depth.
The unit looks nothing like it did twelve months ago.
Will McDonald IV Is Still the Frontrunner – His Track Record Demands It
McDonald has led the Jets in sacks in each of the past two seasons and arrives in 2026 as the team’s most proven pass rusher by a significant margin.
His production history and projected usage make him the default favorite to repeat.
- Sacks in 2025: 8 – led the team by a wide margin
- Second-place sacks on roster: 4 (Jowon Briggs) – illustrating how thin the supporting cast was
- Projected 2026 sacks: 9.5, per Jets X-Factor’s detailed season forecast
- Projected pass-rush snaps: Approximately 385–400, consistent with his prior workload
- SI ranking: Listed among the top impact players on the entire Jets roster in Sports Illustrated’s 2026 preview
Even in a season where the team’s total sack output was embarrassing, McDonald generated legitimate disruption – four pressures and one quarterback hit in a single game against Jacksonville alone.
His snap volume stays high, his role as the primary edge rusher is unchallenged, and the scheme around him is now deeper.
That combination makes him the overwhelming favorite. Full stop.
David Bailey Has Defensive Rookie of the Year Upside – and a Real Path to Double Digits
Bailey arriving at No. 2 overall isn’t organizational optimism – it’s a direct statement that Mougey views him as a franchise-altering pass rusher.
His Texas Tech production backs the hype in a meaningful way.
- College sacks (2025): 14.5 at Texas Tech
- Draft position: No. 2 overall, 2026 NFL Draft
- Projected 2026 sacks: 8, per Jets X-Factor’s forecast
- Defensive Rookie of the Year upside: Identified explicitly by multiple analyst outlets
The scenario where Bailey leads the Jets in sacks isn’t a stretch – it’s the second-most likely outcome on the board.
Bettors tracking player prop markets should note that Bailey’s projected eight sacks puts him within striking distance of McDonald’s nine-and-a-half projection in a model that expects 46 total team sacks, which would have ranked seventh in the NFL last season.
Rookie adjustment curves are real, but edge rushers with Bailey’s athleticism and scheme fit tend to produce early.
Joseph Ossai Gives the Jets a Third Legitimate Threat – Don’t Dismiss Him
Ossai isn’t arriving as a depth piece – the Jets handed him $34.5 million over three years to directly replace Jermaine Johnson II, who was traded to the Tennessee Titans.
Two consecutive five-sack seasons in a complementary role demonstrate he can produce within a functional defense.
His ceiling in this Jets system is realistically five-to-seven sacks if the unit functions as projected, which makes him a volume contributor rather than a sack leader threat.
The Jets X-Factor model projects him at exactly five sacks, in line with his career pattern.
For bettors, Ossai is better framed as an under-the-radar defensive production play than a sack title contender.
The Verdict: McDonald Leads, Bailey Is the Live Alternate, Watch the Snap Counts
Will McDonald IV is the correct favorite to lead the Jets in sacks for a third straight season, with a projection of 9.5 and the primary edge-rusher role locked up.
The counterscenario runs entirely through David Bailey – if the rookie translates his college production ahead of schedule and the Jets lean on him heavily in obvious passing situations, eight-plus sacks and the team lead are both achievable.
Jowon Briggs deserves a brief mention here – Jets X-Factor projects him for 8.5 sacks on 410 pass-rush snaps, up from 320 last season, which would make him a genuine wild card if interior pressure becomes a feature of Glenn’s defense.
That projection has him ahead of Bailey in some models, which is a number worth tracking as training camp depth charts take shape.
The next hard checkpoint is training camp snap distribution and preseason usage patterns – specifically how often Bailey, McDonald, and Ossai align together in obvious passing situations, which will clarify whether the Jets are deploying a true rotation or still leaning on McDonald as the dominant rusher.
Keep an eye out on NYSD for further updates on the Jets pass rush and 2026 defensive unit projections as the preseason unfolds.
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