The New York Jets were not John Franklin-Myers’ first NFL team. That was the Los Angeles Rams, who drafted the Denver Broncos starting defensive lineman in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
However, Franklin-Myers spent five of his previous six NFL seasons with the Jets, the Broncos’ Week 4 opponent.
Franklin-Myers says this is just “another week” despite that familiarity.
“One of those chances to go out there and just be dominant. Put on a dominant performance, play physical, run to the ball, and play with the effort and physicality I always do, except I know the guys,” Franklin-Myers told reporters on September 25. “You play in this league long enough, one thing’s four sure: you’ll get to know just about everybody you play against.
“It’s no different. These guys, good friends of mine. But ain’t no friends in this business. So like I said, ain’t no friendly fire.”
John Franklin-Myers on playing against his former team this week 👀
“I’m looking forward to seeing [Jets ambassador] Marty Lyons and the people that we helped while I was there,’’ Franklin-Myers said, per The Denver Gazette’s Chris Thomasson on September 25. “It means the most to me, but it’s a business and they got to understand, and they do understand it is what it is. And I’m a Denver Bronco, and we’re trying to go win.”
Franklin-Myers missed his first season with the Jets after suffering an injury during the 2019 preseason. He appeared in 65 of the 67 possible games from that point on, starting all 34 games from 2022 through 2023.
The 6-foot-4, 288-pound defensive lineman was impactful.
He racked up 56 total tackles, 17.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception during his Jets tenure.
Franklin-Myers is one of several former Jets on the Broncos roster. He is joined by backup quarterback Zach Wilson and linebackers Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham, both of whom signed with the practice squad in Week 4.
John Franklin-Myers Making Most of Limited Opportunites With Broncos
Franklin-Myers has started all three of the Broncos’ games so far. But he ranks fifth among the team’s defensive linemen in snaps, per Pro Football Reference. He is currently behind fellow starting end Zach Allen and starting nose tackle D.J. Jones.
But Franklin-Myers also trails backups Malcolm Roach and second-year end Jordan Jackson.
Roach has a history with Broncos head coach Sean Payton from their days together with the New Orleans Saints. Jackson was a sixth-round pick by the Saints in 2022.
Franklin-Myers is in Year 1 of a two-year, $15 million reworked contract. The Broncos can cut him in 2025 and save $7 million with $3 million in dead cap space. Allen is the only Broncos defensive lineman with a contract beyond the 2025 season.
However, Franklin-Myers continues to be productive even in limited reps.
Despite a 35% snap share on the year, the second-lowest mark of his career, his 1.0 sacks through three weeks is better than a 5.5-sack pace. That would be the second-highest mark of his career.
Broncos Early Winners of Trade With Jets’
The Jets traded Franklin-Myers to the Broncos in part because they acquired edge rusher Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Jets traded for Haason [Reddick] and then reached out to us and just kind of told us to just kind of see what we can find,” Franklin-Myers told media members on June 4. “From there, get a chance to have your conversations, do what you need to do.
“Denver came up and [I] seen what opportunity that I had. Talked to the coaches, talked to those staff members, and just heard the vision, heard about what they wanted to do for me. How I could help this team, and opportunity that was presented. And the chance to play for Coach Sean Payton, shoot, I couldn’t pass it up.”
The Jets are pressuring quarterbacks at a higher rate in 2024 than in 2023.
However, they rank 12th in pressure rate through three weeks after finishing fourth in the NFL in 2023.
The Broncos can be considered winners of their trade with the Jets with Reddick still not with New York as he searches for a new contract. Reddick must appear in at least six games – regular season or playoffs – for his current contract to expire after the 2024 season.
Franklin-Myers has been less of a complication for the Broncos.
