Entering the preseason, New York Jets fans were feeling great about the potential of their team’s defensive line. Some even imagined a top-five unit.
Names such as Carl Lawson, Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins, and Folorunso Fatukasi, alongside good depth pieces like Bryce Huff, Vinny Curry, Nathan Shepherd, and Ronald Blair, filled out a defensive line room poised to be the team’s best in many years.
Those dreams were shattered when Lawson ruptured his achilles tendon while practicing against the Green Bay Packers in a joint practice.
Other than Zach Wilson’s value (as a quarterback), Lawson could have been the most valuable player on the roster.