The Jets lost their biggest body up front on Saturday. New York placed defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat on injured reserve, the team announced Saturday, Oct. 31, a day before Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Jets didn’t say what the injury is. The good news came from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who reported Sweat is expected to return this season, with the hope that it’s sooner rather than later.
So, who fills the hole?
To fill the roster spot, the Jets signed defensive tackle Payton Page to the 53-man roster. Page, an undrafted free agent out of Clemson in 2025, spent last season on the practice squad and appeared in four games, making six tackles. The team also elevated offensive lineman Brant Banks and edge rusher Quinton Bell from the practice squad for Sunday. Bell is a former seventh-round pick of the Raiders, so he gets a shot against the team that drafted him.
Sweat, listed at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds, came over from Tennessee on Feb. 26 in a straight player swap for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. He’s played in all seven games for New York, with 17 tackles and two tackles for loss. Those aren’t flashy numbers, but that was never the job. He’s there to eat double teams and keep blockers off the linebackers.
The Titans took him 38th overall in the 2024 draft out of Texas. He started 16 games as a rookie with 51 tackles and 23 quarterback pressures, then started 12 games last season with 34 tackles and two sacks.
The timing stings because the line was already thin. According to Pro Football Rumors, defensive tackle David Onyemata and end Braiden McGregor are also on IR, and Sweat’s PFF grade this season ranked ahead of the team’s other regular interior defenders.
Why it matters
McGraw Media’s read: you don’t replace a 366-pound run stopper with a second-year undrafted lineman, and the Jets know it. Expect a rotation, and expect opponents to test the middle on early downs until Sweat is back. With the trade deadline close, this is also the kind of injury that pushes a front office to look for interior help. The Jets haven’t said they will, but the need is obvious. The silver lining is Fowler’s report that this isn’t season-ending, so there’s no sense in panic mode yet.
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