Can Perrion Winfrey be Jets Next gem for Defensive Staff

Can Perrion Winfrey be the next defensive gem unearthed by the Jets and their staff?  Say what you will about Robert Saleh and the 2023 Jets, but one undeniable fact up to this point is that they do some impressive work when it comes to player development.

And this isn’t just about early-round studs who have developed under these coaches.  Yes, Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson and Quinnen Williams top the list. But plenty of castoffs, mid to late-round picks and undrafted free agents have come along nicely too. Several have become anywhere from starters to worthy of all-pro consideration.

Edge rusher Bryce Huff was an undrafted free agent out of Memphis.  Linebacker Quincy Williams and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers both waiver claims by the Jets.  Starting safety Tony Adams was another undrafted free agent who came out of Illinois last season.

Then there are the mid to late-round draft picks who have progressed at a different rate. Nickel cornerback Michael Carter has been very good from the day he was drafted.  Defensive backs Bryce Hall and Ashtyn Davis were starters early before fizzling out.  Hall and Davis were left for dead by most this pre-season.  However, both have played their best football in 2023.  Limited sample size, but noticeable improvement.

Now the Jets hope that defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey is next.

Jets need along interior DL moves up the list of priorities as other needs are taken care of.

Oklahoma DT Perrion Winfrey would be good value in round 2. Here, he steamrolls highly thought of Cam Jurgens to get the sack.

Side note…Jurgens would be a hell of a pick as well. pic.twitter.com/uIYJ5OcVsy

— Glenn Naughton (@JNRadio_Glenn) March 16, 2022

The defensive tackle out of Oklahoma was taken in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2022 draft by the Cleveland Browns.  He would play in 13 games as a rookie and racked up twenty-two tackles, two passes defended, a pair of quarterback hits and half a sack.  Not long after, the lineman would be waived following accusations of pulling a gun on a woman in downtown Cleveland. It’s an accusation that the Jets are aware of along with a case in which Winfrey was accused of assaulting a woman.  Those charges were eventually dropped.

Off-field concerns aside, in Perrion Winfrey the Jets are getting a player with impressive explosion, balance and an excellent motor.  It’s his ability to disrupt opponent’s passing game that had some who viewed him as a second-round prospect leading up to the 2022 draft.

“He’s now considered a top 50 prospect, and draft expert say he could be picked up within the first two days of the 2022 NFL draft.

Winfrey said whatever team he ends up on, he plans to continue his focused work to improve, impress and inspire.”

With more legal troubles than NFL seasons under his belt, Winfrey is a huge question mark as he works is way on to the Jets roster, but he’s a question mark that could have an answer to the Jets search for more explosive depth on their interior defensive line.

Now, about developing offensive players…

Glenn Naughton

Glenn was Born in the Bronx, New York and has followed the Jets religiously despite being stationed in several different countries and time zones around the world. He now resides in England and has been a JetNation member since 2005. Glenn will bleed green with the rest of us through the highs and lows.

See Full Bio