An unexpected starter has emerged during New York Jets OTAs next to defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
“Byron Cowart actually stood out to me next to Quinnen [Williams], he looked really good. He is probably the favorite to start, I would say,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said on the “Flight Plan” podcast. “He was getting a lot of pressure. I think he has a really good shot to start next to Quinnen Williams.”
A #Jets defensive tackle has EMERGED early in OTAs…
“Byron Cowart actually stood out to me next to Quinnen [Williams]. He looked really good. He is probably the favorite to start, I would say,” @ZackBlatt said. “He was getting a lot of pressure. I think he has a really good… pic.twitter.com/8btGyGxH77
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) May 25, 2025
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Cowart’s Emergence Is a Major Surprise for the Jets
Cowart, 29, is the textbook definition of a journeyman player.
The former Maryland product has played for six teams in the NFL, and the Jets are set to be his seventh in 2025. After spending his first three NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, Cowart has bounced around the league.
Cowart has appeared in 51 games and has made 21 starts. With those opportunities, Cowart has racked up 3.5 sacks, 67 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits.
This offseason, he joined the Jets on a one-year, $1.36 million contract. According to Spotrac, the deal only included $167,500 in guaranteed money. In other words, expectations for this veteran big man were minimal.
Despite his humble beginnings as a former fifth-round draft choice in 2019, Cowart is turning some heads at Jets OTAs.
“Defensive tackle Byron Cowart had an impressive day rushing the passer. I had him with one or two sacks in team drills,” Rosenblatt wrote in The Athletic.
Williams Hits the Fastest Backpedal of His Jets Career
The new regime of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn made a lot of changes this offseason. None was bigger than the decision to cut ties with Aaron Rodgers.
That rubbed a lot of players in the locker room the wrong way, including team captain Quinnen Williams.
After hearing the rumors that the Jets were set to move on from Rodgers, Williams took to social media.
“Another rebuild year for me I guess 🙄,” Williams responded to my post on social media. The former Alabama product immediately deleted his post, but it was too late; the damage was done.
OH SHIT! #Jets DL Quinnen Williams just responded to the news that the Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers:
‘Another rebuild year for me I guess’ 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/VO6xyfkl5J
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) February 9, 2025
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For the first time since his social media snafu, Williams addressed the media at OTAs.
“I definitely think it was an immature thing for me to do at that moment out of emotions and frustrations,” Williams explained to the media. “I hadn’t talked to Aaron [Glenn] previous to that … Talking to him, talking to the staff and everybody else just got me super excited and super confident that we’re going in the right direction.”
Quinnen Williams takes responsibility for his social media post from this offseason about “another rebuild year” and says he’s grown from it
He wants to be part of turning things around with the Jets and has gained confidence in the team after several conversations with Aaron… pic.twitter.com/ddEg7FkhtP
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) May 21, 2025
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Williams showed accountability. He also explained his thought process of what he was going through at that moment. Williams is one of the best players on the team and one of the key leaders.
What looked like potential choppy waters have been cleaned up, and now the Jets can focus on football.
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Surprising Jets Vet Emerges as Fav to Start Next to Quinnen Williams