BT fears Jets run defense concerns will linger throughout season

Brandon Tierney is still expecting the Jets to rebound and be a playoff team in 2024 after a Week 1 loss to the 49ers, but he admittedly doesn’t expect to see the defense bounce back to the level they were last season.

It isn’t just because of Haason Reddick’s absence, which has been used as a major talking point after New York was gashed by Jordan Mason and the Niners offense on Monday night. BT doesn’t believe Reddick’s arrival would drastically changed what looked like a porous run defense in the season opener. Rather, he believes the team’s inability to stop the run will continue to be a noticeable problem as the season moves along.

“I think the Jets are a playoff team and really have a chance to do big things...I don’t think it’s a top three defense,” BT said.

“That defensive line, they probably have 2-3 guys that don’t belong there.”

The Jets let Bryce Huff walk after last season due to the Reddick trade, and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is now with the Broncos after being a stabilizing force in 2023. BT doesn’t believe those departures were properly addressed, and doesn’t see that problem being fixed in Week 2. He expects a Jets win, but doesn’t think the run defense will be noticeably better against Tony Pollard and the Titans’ offensive line.

“It’s getting overlooked because we focus just on Reddick,” BT said. “The middle of that D-line, what he did to bring in Reddick...they lost guys and weakened this defense. Not enough people are saying that.”