The best signing the New York Jets made in free agency is going under the radar.
On “Jets Final Drive”, NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY explained why the league is impressed with the Jets’ adding veteran defensive lineman David Onyemata.
“David Onyemata is going to be a mainstay as a defensive tackle. By the way, I have now had four, no joke, four defensive coaches hit me up and say, ‘That’s the best signing the Jets have made this offseason.’ Four! Like to the point where I’m like, what the hell is going on with this? [These] were unsolicited [messages]. Now people know that I know around the league know that I cover the Jets, so when they pick up little Jets rumors and rumblings, they call me and stuff,” Hughes said on the podcast.
“That is one where they were like, hey, the best signing is Demario [Davis] is the obvious one, and then Onyemata is the one they are like that dude is a player, like [a] great person, really good football player, great locker room guy, like everyone keeps pointing that dude out,” Hughes added.
Under the Radar Move for the Jets
Onyemata, 33, will turn 34 during the 2026 NFL season.
He signed a one-year $10.5 million contract with $9.65 million guaranteed. According to Over The Cap, Onyemata is the No. 32 highest-paid defensive tackle in the league.
Onyemata was born and raised in Nigeria. He had never heard of the sport of American football until he moved to Canada to attend college at Manitoba in 2012.
After suiting up for four years at the University, Onyemata entered the NFL draft. He ended up becoming the No. 120 overall pick in the fourth round in 2016. He was also taken with the No. 35 overall pick in the fourth round of the CFL draft.
Onyemata became the first player to ever be selected in an NFL draft from Manitoba.
He spent the first seven years of his career with the New Orleans Saints. Most recently, he was with the Atlanta Falcons for the last three years.
The Interior of Jets Defensive Line Is Solidified
Onyemata has registered at least two sacks in 8 of his 10 seasons at the NFL level. Last season for Pro Football Focus, Onyemata finished with a 78.2 overall grade, a 67.1 pass rush grade, and a 74.2 run defense grade.
The overall grade and run defense grade ranked 8th best among all interior defensive linemen in the NFL last year. However, his pass-rush grade ranked 40th among 134 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
With the depth the Jets have at defensive tackle, they should be able to get the most out of Onyemata.
Since his second year in the league, Onyemata has played at least 51% of the defensive snaps every season. In half of his seasons, he has played in at least 60% of the defensive snaps.
The talented big man has been Mr. Availability throughout his career. Over the last four years, Onyemata has appeared in 65 out of 68 possible games.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote that adding Onyemata was “a concerted effort to improve the current culture by acquiring accomplished veterans with leadership and toughness.”
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