The New York Jets had one of the best pass-rushing groups in the NFL this past season. They had the seventh-most sacks with 48, a top-five pressure rate and five different players recorded at least five sacks.
The Jets swapped starting edge rushers this offseason after letting Bryce Huff walk in free agency before trading for Haason Reddick. But that doesn’t mean head coach Robert Saleh is content with his current group — especially with Reddick skipping minicamp amid a contract dispute.
Former 2017 first-round pick Takkarist McKinley is participating at the Jets minicamp this week on a tryout basis, per The New York Post’s Brian Costello. The Falcons drafted McKinley with the No. 26 pick in 2017 out of UCLA, where he last four seasons before bouncing between the Browns in 2021 and the Rams this past season.
McKinley. 28, had a solid first two years in Atlanta with six sacks in 2017 and seven sacks in 2018. However, he was a rotational edge rusher who only started eight games in 2018 and none his rookie season. When the Falcons moved him into a starting role in 2019, McKinley only tallied 3.5 sacks.
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The Falcons declined McKinley’s fifth-year option before the 2020 season and later waived him in November after he claimed Atlanta turned down trade offers for him despite his request to leave the team. He joined the Raiders in late November following a failed physical with the 49ers but was placed on injured reserve soon after and was never activated.
McKinley played 11 games for the Browns in 2021 where he tallied just 2.5 sacks and 18 combined tackles. He played four games for the Rams in 2022 before being released in October. McKinley signed with the Cowboys in late 2022 but never made the active roster before he was released ahead of the 2023 season.
This is a shot in the dark for New York. McKinley can be productive, but his immaturity has rubbed some teams the wrong way over the past few years.
The Jets have a relatively deep edge rusher unit as well between Reddick, Jermaine Johnson, Michael Clemson and Will McDonald IV. McKinley could find a role in this group, but it would likely be toward the back of the depth chart unless there’s a major injury or Reddick holds out into the 2024 season.
