Following a disappointing 2025 campaign, the New York Jets imported a slew of veterans to help solve a leadership void on Aaron Glenn's club.
Linebacker Demario Davis, one of those sturdy vets brought in to help right the plane, understands that he wasn't signed just for his on-field prowess.
"When I look at what Woody (Johnson) and Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn are establishing, why they're bringing me in is to model what they want that culture to look like," Davis said recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "When I say leadership, it's not a title -- it's modeling. What does your lifestyle represent? Because more is caught than taught. So it's not people are looking for me to come in and have all the right words. How can I be the example of what winning culture looks like? It's the way that I attack the weight room, it's the way that I study film, it's the way that I take care of my body."
Davis is one of a number of pros the Jets brought in on the defensive side of the ball. They also added David Onyemata, Joseph Ossai, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Nahshon Wright, and traded for talented but up-and-down nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat.
"When I look around at the guys that they brought in, it's not just myself," Davis said. "It's Minkah Fitzpatrick. He's a pro, he knows how to take care of his body. You look at Geno Smith, a quarterback that's 10-plus years as a starter in the league. You got David Onyemata and you got Harrison Phillips. You have guys who [know] what it looks like at every tier of the team, but then you have young guys who can develop and who are playing at a high level -- Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Mason Taylor, you just drafted a 4.3 tight end in Kenyon Sadiq.
"So you're building all these components of guys at different stages of their career. That ultimately is going to be able to move the team forward around process and culture, and Aaron Glenn is leading the way. You've got guys who would run through a wall for him. So all the pieces and dynamics are there, and that's what I'm really excited about."
Talent is the No. 1 determiner in the NFL of whether a team can dig itself out of the muck. However, leadership and an understanding of what it takes to succeed day in and day out -- especially in the offseason months -- are underrated aspects of team building.
The Jets lacked on-field leadership on both sides of the ball last year. They've corrected that this year, adding a trove of veterans to the locker room who can carry Glenn's message.
