Jets defense still needs a lot of help after the draft and there are three free agents who can help change that

The NFL draft is closed and most teams have closed on the books on free agency for the 2025 season. The Jets grabbed seven players in the draft in the first five rounds and they are hoping that all of them are contributors to the 2025 team and beyond.

But it would be naive to think that the Jets drafted seven immediate starters and they won’t have some injuries along the way. While most teams have spent all the big money they had in free agency already, there are still plenty of impactful players still available to sign for the right price.

Yesterday, I posted my top potential free agent signings on the offensive side of the ball. Here are my top 3 targets the Jets should sign on the defense.

Za'Darius Smith, OLB

The Jets will have a lot of big potential on the outside of their defensive front, but there is also a low floor for the group. Will McDonald has never been great at stopping the run, Jermaine Johnson is coming off a season-ending achilles injury, Micheal Clemons has been downright awful at times and the Jets have no real idea what they have in Eric Watts, Braiden McGregor or Tyler Baron.

Za'Darius Smith played for head coach Aaron Glenn last season. He will be entering his age-33 season so he should come relatively cheap. He is a veteran who could give the Jets some flexibility. If it turns out McDonald stops the run and Johnson returns to form, then Smith becomes a rotational guy. If neither of those things happen, Smith is good enough to take more significant time and still be effective.

Raekwon Davis, DT

The Jets have one of the best 3-technique defensive tackles in the game in Quinnen Williams but they haven’t been able to get him a running mate on the inside. The Jets signed Derrick Nnadi and Byron Cowart to play the nose this offseason, but they could use more upside at the position.

The Colts opted not to pay $6.5 million for Davis in 2025, and for good reason. When Davis signed in Indy a year ago, he has been the primary starter at 1-tech DT for the Miami Dolphins for four seasons after being a second-round pick. But with the Colts, he was a depth player and saw the field on only 30% of the defensive snaps. He could revive his career with the Jets and be the force in the middle they need especially when it comes to eating blocks and stuffing the run.

Julian Blackmon, S

Call me jaded or a hater, but I don’t buy into the hype surrounding Jets fourth-round pick Malachi Moore. He is not a great athlete and while I believe he is a leader and a hard worker, it won’t matter if he is getting picked on by the offense. We already know what Tony Adams is at the strong safety spot and it’s very uninspiring.

Julian Blackmon turns 27 just before the 2025 season and played 2024 on a one-year, $3.7 million contract with a bunch of incentives built in. The former third-round pick finished with three interceptions, four passes defended, a recovery, a half-sack, and 86 tackles in a solid-not-spectacular year. He could be an important member of the Jets in 2025 considering his lack of competition at the safety spot.