Brendan

Sorsby Latest

Why you shouldn’t count on Brendan Sorsby to the Jets (even if you can’t rule it out)

Many expect the Jets will be in the running to add Brendan Sorsby. Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via AP

Brendan Sorsby is at the forefront of the NFL conversation now that minicamps and OTAs have wrapped up; the noise around him will only increase leading into his July 10 Pro Day. The supplemental draft will likely take place sometime in mid-to-late July, though a date hasn’t been announced yet (and at this point, Sorsby’s application for the draft hasn’t been formally approved).

When there was first buzz about Sorsby possibly going to the NFL in April, I wrote about the prospect of the New York Jets pursuing him. The Jets were, obviously, aware of the possibility and have been doing their due diligence. They scouted Sorsby at Cincinnati during the 2025 season, when he was still a candidate for the 2026 draft, and they saw him at Texas Tech’s pro day.

The risks are obvious for any team that signs a player with as much baggage as Sorsby, not to mention uncertainty over whether the NFL will suspend him. When a player is suspended, he can’t spend time at the facility or communicate with the coaching staff, so there wouldn’t be much of an opportunity for “development” if the NFL hands Sorsby a lengthy suspension.

The talent, though, is obvious. At his best, Sorsby is a gunslinger and a prospect many viewed as a potential first-rounder not only in 2027 but in 2026, had he entered the draft. Others are a little less high on him.

I can’t imagine head coach Aaron Glenn would be excited at the prospect of adding Sorsby, who will be a distraction for any team that signs him. The Jets want to see what they have with Geno Smith and fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik. They don’t feel pressure to add a prospect who almost certainly won’t play in 2026 when the 2027 draft is projected to have a QB class, and when the Jets possess three first-round picks.

Some reporting has suggested there will be teams bidding as high as a second-round pick for Sorsby. I’d be stunned if the Jets went that high.

A third-round pick would be more understandable, considering all their draft capital, but it still seems unlikely to me. A fourth-round pick is where it gets interesting — a low-risk bid on a potential high-ceiling quarterback would mitigate much of the risk that comes with adding him.

However, I don’t see general manager Darren Mougey as someone who would make a move like this unless he really believed in Sorsby’s talent and the infrastructure the Jets have in place to make it work. They don’t need to force it right now.

So, contrary to what oddsmakers seem to think, I don’t believe the Jets are the likeliest team to add Sorsby in July.

What you should read next Is Brendan Sorsby worth a first- or second-round pick in supplemental draft? Off-field issues notwithstanding, the former Cincinnati QB offers a skill set reminiscent of Jaxson Dart's.

Glenn wrapped last week’s minicamp a day early. This is what I saw this spring, and what we might see this summer and fall:

The development of David Bailey

There’s been some consternation on social media about the lack of spring highlights from the No. 2 pick, but I wouldn’t read too much into it. As defensive line coach Karl Dunbar pointed out, pads aren’t even on yet.

“I think he is a good athlete,” said Dunbar, who also raved about Bailey’s football IQ and study habits. “He’s bursty, he can get off, he’s smart and that’s all we see because we don’t have pads on.”

Bailey has some ready-made NFL skills, like his get-off and ability to rush the passer in a variety of ways. But he still has a long way to go as a run defender, and he’s also spent some time in practice running into the brick wall that is right tackle Armand Membou. Bailey is a work in progress, but that’s OK this time of the year.

Dunbar cut off a question about Bailey’s run defense when he spoke to the media recently.

“Don’t care. Can he rush the passer?” Dunbar said, then clapped. “There’s a lot of guys who weren’t asked to play the run, who weren’t asked to do those things in college. Have you been at our practices? Have you seen what we’re doing? We’re teaching him how to do what? Play the run. Because you’ve got to earn the right to rush the passer. If you don’t stop the run, they’re not going to pass the ball. So we’re going to teach him and everyone else in the room how to stop the run, and then we’re going to get after the quarterback.”

Linebacker Demario Davis — a mortal lock to be named a team captain — acknowledged the questions about Bailey, pointing out that Dunbar is “not going to accept you just being a one-way player.”

With Dunbar “coming from Pittsburgh, you watched those guys on the edge — Alex Highsmith, T.J. Watt — you see those guys are dominant in the run and the pass. That’s what’s expected of him. He’s one of those guys that has a tremendously high ceiling.”

What you should read next T’Vondre Sweat’s eye-opening presence and the 10 most interesting Jets post-minicamp They include a potential QB2, a linebacker who needs to bounceback and a pair of kickers vying to stop the Jets' carousel.

The wide receiver room

I can’t remember a season when the Jets’ wide receiver room seemed locked in as early as it does now. There are five roster locks — Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Tim Patrick and Isaiah Williams — and it feels likely that Arian Smith will stick around for special teams (and because he was a 2025 fourth-round pick).

That doesn’t really leave room for any undrafted rookies to sneak onto the roster. Though I’d keep an eye on Louisville’s Caullin Lacy — who had the largest guarantee ($247,500) of the UDFA class — and Arizona State’s Malik McClain, who made some plays early in the spring.

As for the locks, I’ve written about Mitchell’s emergence, but Cooper also had his moments. The OTA setting wasn’t really designed for Cooper to make many splash plays, since his strength is after-the-catch, but he has some obvious explosion. I don’t remember him dropping any passes.

“I think (Cooper’s) a dog,” Mitchell said. “He’s very smart, he’s learned the offense pretty fast, he asks a lot of questions and the way he plays the game is different. He brings an element not a lot of guys are explosive at, as far as things he does on the field with run after the catch. He’s extremely explosive.”

Cornerback battles

Through the spring, my early prediction for how the starting cornerback room will look in Week 1: Brandon Stephens on one side, Nahshon Wright on the other and rookie D’Angelo Ponds in the slot.

A couple things to keep in mind: Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will play significant snaps in the nickel, and there will be a legitimate training camp competition for that spot opposite Stephens (between Wright and second-year Azareye’h Thomas) and at nickel (Ponds and Jarvis Brownlee Jr.).

But Wright and Ponds were standouts to me in the spring; They bring a level of playmaking to the defense that neither Thomas nor Brownlee showed in 2025.

Don’t underrate this signing

The Jets got positive reviews for signing veteran defensive tackle David Onyemata, and so far, he seems like the exact kind of player they have been missing. He’s at his best as a run stopper, but he’s also a better athlete than he gets credit for — he was in the backfield quite a bit during team drills.

Dunbar called Onyemata “a really good part of the puzzle,” and Davis called him one of the best run defenders he’s ever played with (they were teammates in New Orleans).