New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers Defensive Players to Watch

Not so long ago, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, a fact that makes their meeting on Monday Night Football all the more intriguing.

This will be the first meeting between Saleh and his former team since he took the Jets job before the 2021 season. He’s quite familiar with what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan likes to do offensively. But the 49ers are also quite familiar with what Saleh likes to do defensively.

New York has one of the best defenses in the NFL, a unit that by season’s end could be ranked No. 1 in the league. The unit is filled with former first-round draft picks and that doesn’t even count edge rusher Haason Reddick, who continues his holdout for a contract extension. He was nowhere to be found at the practice facility on Thursday and the window is tightening for him to agree to a deal and be available for Monday’s game.

The Jets were third in the NFL in defensive yards allowed per game last year (292.3 ypg) and were just outside the Top 10 in points allowed per game (20.9).

The 49ers also have a quality defense returning. San Francisco allowed 303.9 yards per game a season ago, good for eighth-best in the NFL. The 49ers allowed 17.5 points per game, third-best in the league.

As much as has been written about these two offenses, the defensive matchup is just as compelling.

Here are the defensive players to watch for both teams entering Monday’s game.

DT Quinnen Williams

The former Alabama star and first-round pick had 62 tackles a season ago, along with 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. In the Jets’ defensive scheme they need tackles up front that can crash the line of scrimmage and create pursuit lanes for their linebackers and safeties. Williams is perfectly suited for the role.

Entering his sixth NFL season he has 33 career sacks, has been selected to two Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022.

LB C.J. Mosley

Another former first-round pick from Alabama in 2014, Mosley has just about seen it all in a 10-year career that started in Baltimore. He landed with the Jets entering the 2019 season and last year he was their leading tackler, with 151 tackles. Of those tackles, his 80 solo shots were second-best on the team.

As a pro he has been selected to five Pro Bowls, along with five second-team All-Pro nods. The two-time national champion with the Crimson Tide is now looking for a Super Bowl ring to add to his collection.

CB Sauce Gardner

Gardner is entering just his third season but he’s on the cusp of becoming one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL when he’s eligible for an extension next year. As a second-year pro last year he had 57 tackles with 12 passes defended. He didn’t have an interception, but that’s because most offenses aren’t willing to throw his way.

He’s already been named a two-time All-Pro, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was the 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

DE Nick Bosa

Wherever Bosa goes, chaos seems to follow. Last season he had 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss as he finished the regular season with 53 tackles. He forced two fumbles and he even defended four passes. Whoever ends up blocking Bosa will have his hands full all day long.

Entering his sixth season, he’s earned four Pro Bowl invites, was selected first team All-Pro in 2022 and has been both the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

LB Fred Warner

Entering his seventh season, Warner has grown into one of the most productive and reliable linebackers in the NFL. He’s a three-time first team All-Pro selection and a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and he was selected both last season as he helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl for the second time in his career.

He led the 49ers with 132 tackles last season, along with 2.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, four interceptions and 11 passes defended. He also forced four fumbles. He’s an uncommonly good tackler who rarely misses the player he’s pursuing

CB Charvarius Ward

Ward broke into the league the hard way, making the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad in 2018 out of Middle Tennessee after he went undrafted. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up and he contributed to their victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.

San Francisco signed him in 2022 and last season he was a second team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection. He led the 49ers with five interceptions in 2023, along with 72 tackles and a team-high 23 passes defended.