The New York Jets have "probably the worst defense in the league," according to star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. They're hoping a players-only meeting and the return of edge rusher Jermaine Johnson will help.
Johnson, who missed three games with an ankle injury, will play Sunday against the Denver Broncos at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Jets (0-5), the NFL's only winless team, are looking for something -- anything -- to spark them.
Before leaving for London on Monday night, the defensive players met to discuss the issues that have plagued them, Johnson revealed Friday -- a sign of a heightened level of urgency.
"Everybody was on the same page," Johnson told reporters in London. "We have to be better. We can't be the reason we lose. That can't happen. We have too much talent.
"Coach AG (Aaron Glenn) has had our back as far as how he runs this thing, instilling a certain culture in here. We have to have his back by putting a good product out there. That's our job. We definitely take full accountability."
The poor play by the defense prompted Williams' unusually critical comments on Thursday in London, where he blamed the defense for the 0-5 start. He's not wrong. The Jets have no takeaways -- the first team in NFL history to take an oh-fer in its first five games -- and they're allowing 31.4 points per game. Only the Baltimore Ravens are giving up more (35.4).
"We're 0-5 and the defense has been the problem, the reason why we're 0-5," Williams said.
The Jets' pass rush has disappeared in recent weeks. After a four-sack performance in Week 1, it has recorded only three sacks in the last four games, including only one last week against a depleted Dallas Cowboys offensive line. And that one sack was a give-up play by Dak Prescott.
Veteran defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, in his first season with the Jets, has come under fire. His unit has been plagued by missed tackles, blown coverages and penalties.
"Everything is on me," he said.
Johnson probably will be rusty because he hasn't played a lot of football. After a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2023, which earned him a Pro Bowl spot as an injury replacement, he missed the final 15 games last season with a torn Achilles. He made it back for this season, but injured an ankle in Week 2.
The Broncos (3-2) will be a big challenge for the Jets' pass rush, as Bo Nix has been sacked only five times.
"He does bring an edge to him and he's another guy that can get after the quarterback," Glenn said of Johnson. "Any time we can bring that type of attitude, any time we can bring that level of player on our team back from injury, it's always good."
Glenn is the first coach in Jets' history to begin his tenure with five straight losses. Publicly, he remains undaunted, vowing a turnaround.
"There's some foundational things that I see us building right now that no one else sees," he said. "And that's OK because everybody sees 0-5. But I do know this: That's going to change and the foundation's going to be stable. We're going to start winning and everything will be just fine."
In other injury news, kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu (hamstring) was cleared to return after missing four games. Since his injury, the Jets have used four different returners, two of whom were released (Xavier Gipson and Isaiah Williams) and one of whom was injured (Braelon Allen). Williams is back on the practice squad.