Jets’ Jermaine Johnson primed for big role after dominant camp: ‘Made a statement’
The Big Three from the Jets’ 2022 NFL Draft class soon could become a Fab Four if edge rusher Jermaine Johnson’s preseason performance is any indication of what’s to come.
Johnson was one of the best players on the field during practices and games from start to finish of training camp, setting the edge against the run and pressuring the quarterback as his leaner, more muscular body earned an increase in first-team reps.
“I feel like I made my statement,” Johnson said Thursday, after the final practice of training camp before the final preseason game, Saturday against the Giants, “but, still, what have I done? That’s how I look at it. Just excited for this last preseason game and to start rolling into the year.”
Johnson was the third of the Jets’ four top-36 draft picks last year.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner won Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively, and running back Breece Hall was an award contender until he suffered a torn ACL in Week 5.
Johnson, playing in a deep rotation, totaled 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks on 27 percent of the snaps.
“I was just happy for them because they made the most out of their opportunities, and I believe I made the most out of my opportunity, as well,” Johnson said. “But I’m always going to be hungry for more, always going to want to dominate. I want to be seen as a player that offenses have to scout for.”
That’s a high bar to reach.
If Johnson is able to become the second Jet since 2016 to reach at least nine sacks in a season, the defense will have one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league, assuming Quinnen Williams (12 sacks last season) stays healthy after he signed a $96 million extension.
“My dominance has always popped off tape,” Johnson said. “I always look like one of the best guys on the field, and I just didn’t feel that from me last year. So I went to work this offseason and made sure that wasn’t the case this year.”
What statement did his play make during camp?
“That I’m a dominant player at the top of my field,” Johnson said. “I know when I’m at my best, the team can be at their best.”
Johnson’s emergence eased the concern of losing edge rusher Carl Lawson to a back injury for an indefinite amount of time midway through camp.
Rookie first-round pick Will McDonald is penciled in for a situational role on the defense similar to the one Johnson used as his learning experience last season.
“I’m always down to learn — I don’t know everything — but, to be honest, I feel like I’m always the guy,” Johnson said. “I feel like last year, sitting back a little bit and not having as much opportunity, you could look at it two ways: Be [angry], or be your biggest critic and fix what you need to fix. You can’t be a ‘Yes man’ to yourself or you are never going to get better.”
Even if the Jets keep 10 defensive linemen on their 53-man roster to fit head coach Robert Saleh’s style of rotating two waves and assuring fresh fourth-quarter legs, Johnson’s role will expand.
“He’s an old-school, three-down run defender/edge rusher,” Saleh said. “I’d argue his ability in the run game is even better than his ability in the pass game. He is very violent at the point of attack — especially if he has a tight end in his hands. He dents edges, collapses edges … and is a very violent, nasty human in the run game.”
One change this season is that Johnson is standing up — rather than keeping his hand in the dirt — more frequently at the snap. The coaches are affording him extra freedom.
“I did it in college, and last year I didn’t really do that,” Johnson said. “I think it was maybe a confidence thing: ‘Eh, I’m a rookie. I don’t know.’ F that. It’s my game. I have to put it on tape and I’m comfortable doing that.”
The Jets were thrilled when Johnson, one of their highest-rated prospects in the 2022 class, surprisingly slipped down the draft board and still was available at No. 26.
They packaged three picks to move up from No. 36. It’s up to Johnson to make that move look as smart as the picks of Gardner, Wilson and Hall.
“Ever since I was little I was kind of obsessed with being just as good — if not the best — as the best guy at everything,” Johnson said. “I want to be the strongest, I want to be the fastest, I want to be able to play the run like a D-tackle and I want to be able to rush the passer on third down like a solely third-down guy. I want to be the kind of player that you know every down I’m on the field, I’m helping the team.”
