The New York Jets' quest to improve their defense for the upcoming NFL season is slowly becoming a key point of the offseason.

While under the guidance of head coach Aaron Glenn in 2025, the Jets' defense was part of the many issues the team encountered. Fortunately for the struggling organization, general manager Darren Mougey made multiple acquisitions that could help improve the defense for the 2026 season, especially in the case of creating more turnovers.

When asked about the limited amount of turnovers last season, Jets' veteran cornerback Brandon Stephens told reporters on Monday that forcing turnovers is "definitely the focus" heading into the upcoming regular season.

"I tell myself that in my sleep," Stephens claimed. "That's something that we have to do. In order to win games, you have to take the ball away to give yourself an advantage. That's definitely the focus; how could it not be?"

Last year, the Jets' defense was one of the worst in all of the NFL.

New York faced plenty of issues when stopping the run in 2025, as the defense allowed the fourth-worst average rushing yards per game at 139.5. To make matters worse for Glenn and his defense, the Jets recorded just four fumbles and zero interceptions last season, which was the fewest opponent turnovers in a single season since the San Francisco 49ers back in 2018.

Luckily for the struggling fanbase, the front office did an excellent job of revamping the defense for the 2026 season.

Prior to the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jets ended up trading EDGE Jermaine Johnson II to the Tennessee Titans for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, who should fix their issues against opposing run games. In addition to Sweat, New York also selected Texas Tech star EDGE David Bailey to bolster its front four, which should create more turnover opportunities this year.

Alongside the moves to land both Sweat and Bailey, the organization also selected Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds in the second round of the most recent draft. The ball-hawking defensive back was known for his aggressive style of play with the Hoosiers in 2025, and will be a key piece of the secondary unit.

If the Jets manage to stay healthy on the defensive side of the ball during the 2026-27 season, the unit should be able to make great strides from its horrific efforts last season.