Predicting the New York Jets' 53-Man Roster: Defense

His motor, athleticism and size up the middle prevent many running backs from breaking through for a big gain and he also managed to inherit multiple lineman, which is needed in the 3-4, to open up the pass rush that came from the linebackers behind him.

There is no doubt that his workload was over what he was capable of handling and that he faltered down the stretch of the season, but with a strong pair of backups like Sione Pouha and Howard Green, Jenkins should remain and have as strong a season as ever.

Sione Pouha was one of the few holdovers from the Herm Edwards era that Eric Mangini inherited. His size and success gave the Jets another option up the middle that was used to his advantage when the team switched over to a 3-4 defense.

Pouha subbed in for Jenkins on several packages during the course of the 2008 season. As I have stated above, Rex Ryan has attempted an offensive line that consisted of Kris Jenkins moving over to play defensive end with Pouha playing nose tackle.

I am anxious to see how well that bulky defensive line would do in-game.

Howard Green was a sixth-round pick by the Houston Texans in their inaugural season during the 2002 NFL draft. While he spent time during the offseason in Houston, he also spent time during the 2002 season with the Ravens under then-defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Since then, Green has bounced around the league and spent time with the Seahawks, Dolphins, Saints and Vikings but is now joining the Jets. He brings another big body and depth for the Jets on the defensive line.


Outside Linebacker - Calvin Pace, Bryan Thomas, Vernon Gholston, Kenwin Cummings

Another one of the Jets many 2008 offseason acquisitions, Calvin Pace joined the Jets last year to give them a much needed pass rusher from the outside linebacker position. Prior to Pace, the Jets only managed 19 sacks from their two starting outside linebackers during Eric Mangini's tenure as head coach.

Pace provided stability to the position last season and managed 80 tackles, 7.0 sacks and five forced fumbles. He is a pivotal player in this team's future as it stands right now with Rex Ryan at the helm. Using Ryan's blitzing schemes, Pace has the ability to put up career highs in every category.

Bryan Thomas was drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. After failing to live up to his first-round status, the Jets moved him to outside linebacker when Mangini took over the team and switched to the 3-4 defense.

With his hand out of the dirt, Thomas broke out for a career high 8.5 sacks and 77 tackles. The Jets rewarded him with a long-term contract.

Thomas' success was short-lived and he only managed to come up with 2.5 sacks in his second year as a pass-rushing outside linebacker.

With Pace on the opposite side of him, Thomas rebounded with 5.5 sacks and 58 tackles in 2008.

It's unclear at this point how the Jets intend to use Thomas. He has talent and could be a major contributor as a pass rusher, but there is a fellow named Vernon Gholston sitting behind him on the depth chart waiting to break out.

Speaking of Vernon Gholston, the Jets sixth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft had a miserable rookie campaign. One in which he did not even reach the field as a starter, despite being highly regarded as a premier pass-rusher out of Ohio State.

It was evident that through last summer, Gholston was having trouble making the conversion from a 4-3 defensive end in college to a 3-4 outside linebacker at the pro level. He managed a putrid 13 tackles and no sacks.

When Rex Ryan took over as head coach of the Jets, the media asked him about Vernon Gholston and if there was anything he could do to help him get his NFL career on track. Ryan compared Gholston to Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who was deemed a bust early in his career, but under Ryan became a Pro Bowl player.

As early as this past week, Gholston was impressing the coaching staff, and specifically defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

There has been talk that the Jets could use him as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker in different packages. It would give opposing offenses different looks and make it harder to read the defense. Look for Gholston to possibly make his mark on the NFL under Ryan this year.

Kenwin Cummings joined the Jets last year as an undrafted rookie free agent. He took the Jets by storm and had a solid preseason finishing in the top 10 in tackles in the AFC with 19 and also added on a sack against the Browns in the first week.

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