When a new head coach gets hired in the NFL, some of their players from a previous stop often come over with them.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report expects that to occur with Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets.
Knox said Detroit Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike “should top” Glenn’s free agent wish list with the Jets.
“Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, who was drafted in 2021, experienced every facet of Detroit’s turnaround. He battled through a three-win season as a rookie and through a back injury that cost him the entire 2022 campaign. He was a legitimate difference-maker this past season, finishing with 28 tackles, a forced fumble, and 13 quarterback hits,” Knox said.
“Onwuzurike would be a solid fit for the Jets, even if Glenn weren’t the head coach. Their defensive line was more good than great this past season, and they could lose Haason Reddick, Javon Kinlaw, Solomon Thomas, and Leki Fotu in free agency. With Glenn [overseeing] New York’s latest rebuild, Onwuzurike makes even more sense,” Knox explained in an article for B/R. “The 26-year-old has the potential to be a long-term building block next to Quinnen Williams in New York’s defensive interior. He could help Glenn install his defense and instill the sort of winning culture the Jets haven’t enjoyed in over a decade.”
Projected Free Agent Contract, Fit With the Jets
Onwuzurike, 26, entered the league as the No. 41 overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
During his four-year career, the veteran defensive tackle has appeared in 42 games and has made 10 starts.
Onwuzurike has 3.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 68 total tackles, and four tackles for loss. While the raw pass rush numbers may not wow you – the former Washington product has raised eyebrows in the analytical community.
“The former second-round pick out of Washington is the penetrating three-technique interior pass-rusher that every team covets, with his 12.5% pass-rush win rate in 2024 ranking as a top-15 mark at the position,” according to Pro Football Focus.
PFF ranks him as the No. 40 overall best free agent in 2025 by PFF and specifically the third-best interior defensive lineman that is expected to be available.
Onwuzurike is expected to sign a two-year deal for $16.5 million with $10 million of that guaranteed, per PFF. That $8.25 million annual salary would place him at No. 30 among the highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
Onwuzurike is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason with his rookie deal set to expire.
A Top Priority for the Green and White in 2025
One of the top goals for Glenn should be finding a Robin to Quinnen Williams’ Batman.
This past Jets season was destroyed because of poor play on the defensive line specifically at defensive tackle. The entire season was Williams and then a bunch of other guys on the interior defensive line.
“A running mate for the stud defensive lineman is overdue — especially after the Jets traded away John Franklin-Myers for a baggy of Werther’s Original last year. Gang Green has repeatedly tossed assets at the edges, leaving the interior to Q and whatever parts were lying around. With Javon Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas headed to free agency, it’s time to get Williams a difference-making mate who will take advantage of the one-on-ones the big guy provides,” Kevin Patra of the NFL Media Group said. “The Jets defense struggled for spells in 2024 partly because it was thin up the gut.”
Glenn plucking fruit from his old stomping grounds could go a long way toward solving the interior defensive line issues.
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