The 2025 season was supposed to be the "all-in" year for the New York Jets. Honestly, it felt more like an "all-out" disaster by the time November rolled around. If you’re looking at the NY Jets depth chart 2025, you aren't just looking at a list of names; you're looking at the wreckage of an era that ended with a whimper and a massive fire sale.
Nobody talks about how quickly the floor fell out. We all knew Aaron Rodgers was the hinge the door swung on. When that hinge snapped—metaphorically and then literally with the roster purge—the depth chart became a revolving door of "who's that?" players and rookies forced into the deep end without a life jacket.
The Quarterback Room: A Study in Chaos
Let's be real. The 2025 depth chart at quarterback was a mess from the jump. Rodgers started the year, but by February 2025, the team had already officially moved on. Woody Johnson basically admitted the experiment failed. That left a vacuum that Justin Fields was supposed to fill. The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal in March 2025, thinking they could "fix" him under new head coach Aaron Glenn.
It didn't happen.
Fields struggled. Then he got hurt. By the time the season wound down, the NY Jets depth chart 2025 featured names like Brady Cook and Hendon Hooker taking meaningful snaps.
- QB1: Justin Fields (until his IR stint)
- QB2: Tyrod Taylor (the eternal bridge)
- QB3: Brady Cook / Hendon Hooker (the "see what we have" tier)
The most jarring thing? Seeing Tyrod Taylor, at age 36, still being the most reliable person in the building. It’s kinda wild that a team with this much "potential" talent ended up 3-14, largely because they couldn't find a guy to just throw the ball away on third down.
The Fire Sale That Changed Everything
You can't talk about the defensive depth without mentioning the "Great Purge" of November 4, 2025. This is where most casual fans get the 2025 roster wrong. They think the defense was still elite. It wasn't. At the trade deadline, the Jets sent Sauce Gardner to the Colts and Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys.
Think about that. The two best players on the team, gone in 24 hours.
Suddenly, the defensive depth chart didn't have a superstar anchor. It was a bunch of guys like Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams trying to hold together a secondary that was getting torched weekly. Brandon Stephens, who they signed to a three-year deal in free agency, was suddenly CB1. He’s a solid pro, but he’s not Sauce. Nobody is.
The Defensive Front
With Quinnen gone, the interior was a rotation of Harrison Phillips, Jowon Briggs, and Khalen Saunders. They were basically a speed bump for every running back in the AFC East. Jermaine Johnson II and Will McDonald IV stayed on the edges, but without the gravity of Quinnen in the middle, their sack numbers cratered.
Skill Positions: Breece and Garrett's Long Year
If there was one bright spot—or at least a flickering candle—it was the Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson connection. Even as the team spiraled, these two were the only reason anyone tuned in.
Wilson finished with over 1,000 yards again, which is a miracle considering he had four different guys throwing him the ball. But looking at the NY Jets depth chart 2025, the lack of a real WR2 was glaring. They traded for Davante Adams late in '24, but by 2025, that felt like a lifetime ago. They leaned on Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie III, but the consistency just wasn't there.
Breece Hall was basically the entire offense. He’s a superstar, but you could see the frustration boiling over. There were rumors he’d refuse to sign an extension, and honestly, can you blame him? He’s been the most productive player on a team that hasn't won more than seven games since he arrived.
The 2025 Offensive Line
This was the most improved unit on paper, yet it still felt shaky.
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- LT: Olu Fashanu (The real deal. One of the few wins for the front office.)
- LG: John Simpson
- C: Josh Myers (Signed from Green Bay to bring some stability.)
- RG: Joe Tippmann
- RT: Armand Membou (The rookie from Missouri who actually held his own.)
They actually stayed relatively healthy, which is a first for a Jets line. But when your QBs are holding the ball for five seconds because nobody can get open, even a Pro Bowl line is going to look bad.
Why 2025 Felt Different (And Worse)
In previous years, there was always "hope." In 2025, the depth chart felt like a surrender. When you look at the names on the back end—guys like Qwan’tez Stiggers and Malachi Moore—you see a lot of "project" players. That’s fine for a rebuilding team, but the Jets were supposed to be past that.
The move to Aaron Glenn as head coach was supposed to bring a "Detroit-style" grit. Instead, the roster just looked young and overwhelmed. By December, 58% of the roster had four years of experience or less. It was essentially a college team playing against the Bills and Dolphins twice a year.
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Actionable Insights for the 2026 Offseason
If you’re a fan or an analyst looking at where this depth chart goes from here, the 2025 season provided some hard truths. The "win-now" window is officially boarded up and the house is being renovated.
- Draft a Quarterback (For Real This Time): The veteran bridge experiment (Rodgers, Fields, Taylor) has failed three times over. With a top-3 pick in 2026, the Jets cannot afford to trade back. They need a franchise arm, even if the 2026 class has questions.
- Fix the Interior D-Line: You cannot replace Quinnen Williams, but you also can't start 2026 with a committee of rotational backups. They need a "glass-eater" in the middle to let Jermaine Johnson actually reach the QB.
- The Breece Hall Dilemma: The Jets have to decide: pay him record-breaking money or trade him while his value is still high. Keeping him on the franchise tag while the team is in a "studs-up" rebuild is a recipe for a locker room disaster.
- Secondary Depth: Brandon Stephens and Azareye’h Thomas are the future at corner. They need a veteran safety who doesn't miss assignments. The 2025 season was defined by 40-yard bombs given up on 3rd and short.
The 2025 depth chart was a transition from a failed dream to a harsh reality. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fun to watch, and it certainly didn't rank well in the standings. But it did clear the deck. For the first time in years, the Jets have cap space, high draft picks, and a clear (if painful) understanding of who they actually are.