The New York Jets could take advantage of a coaching change.
NFL analyst Will Parkinson recently pushed the Jets to “explore” a trade for Tennessee Titans nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
“[Harrison] Phillips and Sweat as your NT in this scheme would be fun. [Darren] Mougey and [Aaron] Glenn have been creative with trades… another one they should explore,” Parkinson wrote on social media.
Sweat, 24, entered the league as the No. 38 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and weighs 366 pounds.
So why would the Titans want to get rid of a highly drafted player this soon? A scheme change.
Justin Melo, a writer for Titan Sized, explained that Sweat’s fit with Tennessee “isn’t guaranteed now that Robert Saleh has been named HC.”
Melo said a trade before the 2026 NFL draft shipping Sweat out is “possible.”
Sweat has two years remaining on his $9.5 million rookie contract.
Sweat’s Fit With What Saleh Wants to Do Doesn’t Seem to Be a Match
“Saleh’s preferred method for his defensive line is to create one-on-one matchups for his linemen by alignment, as broken down in this terrific piece by Mike Herndon. Herndon explains that Saleh often sets his four defensive linemen outside with two wide 9-techniques and two 3-techniques and no defensive linemen lined up in either A gap. This is where the Sweat question comes into play,” Melo wrote for Titan Sized.
“Saleh’s defenses haven’t traditionally utilized nose tackles. ‘We value speed, get-off and explosiveness over just gargantuan size,’ Saleh once claimed about his preferred defensive lineman. Sweat has gargantuan size, but speed and explosiveness aren’t his calling cards,” Melo bluntly said.
A Potential Jets Scheme Change?
The Jets, who also had Saleh, typically used four down linemen in this most recent era. However, the hiring of Karl Dunbar as defensive line coach has raised questions about a potential scheme change back to a 3-4 defense.
NFL analyst Will Parkinson posted, “Feels more and more like the Jets will be a base 3-4 team in 2026.”
Andrew Golden of Jets X-Factor responded, “Dunbar hasn’t coached in a 4-3 since 2011. 6/8 of their first round of DC interviews were career 3-4 coaches. They’re gonna be a 3-4 team.”
If that were to happen, suddenly the Jets would need a big man to plug in at nose tackle in the middle of the defense.
Sweat would fit the bill.
He has appeared in 29 games and has made 28 starts. With those opportunities, Sweat has collected 85 tackles, three sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, six quarterback hits, and eight tackles for loss.
Getting Into the Trade Weeds
General manager Mike Borgonzi and GM Darren Mougey have a history together. Last year, they struck a deal for cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. What is stopping them from doing more work together?
Borgonzi doesn’t have any direct link to Sweat. The previous GM, Ran Carthon, drafted Sweat. So there is less attachment between Borgonzi and Sweat.
Saleh will assuredly have an interest in a wide array of pieces on the Jets’ defense. Several of the players he drafted are still rocking the green and white.
Could a player-for-player swap make sense?
The Jets have linebacker Jamien Sherwood and pass rushers Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson that they could use in a potential trade package.
If any of those players ended up as Titans via trade this offseason, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Jets Pushed to Acquire $9.5 Million 366-Pound Big Man via Trade