It might be time to pull the plug.
New York Jets pass rusher Will McDonald had his third straight quiet game during the Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears. Fans are now calling for him to be moved.
“In Will McDonald’s last 24 games he’s had a full sack in 5 of them 80% of the games over that stretch he’s not getting a sack. His watch has ended. 35 days until the trade deadline,” NYJ Matt posted on X.
“So tired of this mf WMD bro he is probably never gonna be his old self again,” another fan responded.
After starting the season with a sack against the Tennessee Titans, McDonald has had three straight contests with zero sacks.
“A perplexing Will McDonald stat… In Week 1, he generated 5 pressures on 18 pass-rushing snaps. Since then (Weeks 2-4), McDonald has tallied just 4 pressures on 113 pass-rushing snaps,” Connor Long of Jets X-Factor posted.
A Name to Watch
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said McDonald’s name “is sure to make its way into the rumor mill as the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaches.”
“The 2023 first-round pick drew interest last year, when he had a full-time role on defense. Now he’s a rotational player whose playing time could be shrinking. Joseph Ossai‘s return last week created a five-man rotation at edge rusher, with rookie David Bailey, Kingsley Enagbare and Braiden McGregor manning the other spots. All but McGregor participated in more defensive snaps than McDonald, whose pass-rushing production has cratered after a promising Week 1 (no QB hits in the last two games),” Cimini continued.
You may be asking yourself, if it isn’t working for the Jets, why would someone else want him? Well, some folks are going to blame the Jets as the reason why things aren’t working.
“Edge rushers always have value, and perhaps there’s a contending team that believes he still can be the player that made 10.5 sacks in 2024. Coach Aaron Glenn said McDonald is ‘a huge part of what we’re doing,’ but that can always change. The Jets’ willingness to trade him, or any player for that matter, could hinge on their place in the standings at the deadline. McDonald’s fifth-year option was exercised, so he’s signed through 2027 ($13.8 million guaranteed). An extension seems unlikely, so it might behoove them to get what they can before he walks in 2028,” Cimini explained.
Since Cimini wrote that column, the Jets lost their third straight game.
Old Friends Could Provide Answers
Where could McDonald go? Look at the previous coaching staff’s branches spread around the league.
Brad, a San Francisco 49ers analyst, said, “A more realistic trade target for the 49ers would be Jets DE Will McDonald He would be a nice speed rush option to pair on the opposite side of Nick Bosa and former college teammate of Brock Purdy.”
During the “Jets Final Drive” season preview show, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic boldly predicted that McDonald would get traded to the Atlanta Falcons to reunite with his old coach Jeff Ulbrich.
Don’t rule out Robert Saleh, with the Tennessee Titans making a play for his former player as another option.
McDonald has 22.5 sacks and 49 quarterback hits in his NFL career. He has proven that he can disrupt the opposing quarterback, just not on a consistent basis.
Calls Grow Loud for Jets to Trade Defender After Bad Bears Game