After Thursday’s practice, Will McDonald IV sat quietly at his locker stall, his head buried in his tablet reviewing film.
McDonald may be one of the Jets’ few bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming season.
But the second-year defensive end is far from satisfied with what he’s accomplished.
“I actually didn’t reach my goal,” McDonald said.
McDonald leads the Jets with 10 sacks this season — an impressive jump from his rookie campaign, during which he logged just three in limited playing time.
McDonald’s sack count is the 10th-best mark in the league.
Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has the team’s second-most sacks with six.
But with two games remaining on the Jets’ schedule, McDonald knows it’s unlikely he’ll reach his target of 18 sacks.
“I got a higher standard for myself than everybody else,” said McDonald, who aims to break the Jets’ record of 22 sacks in a single season set by Mark Gastineau in 1984. “So for me, it’s still good but it’s not what I wanted to be, and it’s not how I wanted to finish out the season.”
Then again, it’s a start.
“I’m glad, you know, what I have now,” McDonald said. “I now know that I can be able to be that 10-plus sack guy, and keep going up from there.”
Nothing of what McDonald has accomplished this season is a surprise to him.
He knew the type of player he could be for the Jets when they drafted him with the No. 15-overall pick in 2023.
He just needed a chance to showcase what he could do.
The former Iowa State star spent most of his rookie season on the sidelines.
McDonald knew that if he wanted to be entrusted with a larger role in his second season, he had to put another level of dedication into his offseason regimen.
McDonald hired a chef along with two trainers — one who specialized in agility and another in strength training.
He gained roughly 10 pounds and improved his burst.
His spin move — one of the favorites in his pass-rush arsenal — is crisper and faster.
Through it all, though, McDonald said his mentality hasn’t changed.
“The more opportunities I got I was just taking advantage of those because I was the same player as I was last year, I just didn’t get as many plays,” McDonald said. “Now, this year, I was able to get those opportunities and make something out of it. So I’ve always known I’ve had this mentality. I just never got a chance to really show it last year. So just keep balling out like I am now and from here, keep turning up more sacks, doing my thing.”
McDonald doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.
“You don’t want to arrive late to the party,” he said. “I want to start now, [with building] my legacy.”
The Jets have a lot to figure out this offseason.
Hiring a head coach and general manager, determining quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ future, and deciding on the team’s direction are only a few of things on a list that’s as long as a CVS receipt.
But McDonald sees reasons to be optimistic about what’s to come.
He believes he’ll only continue to get better.
He also thinks he and Jermaine Johnson can be a lethal defensive duo next season when the Jets’ 2022 first-round pick is back in the mix after missing most of this season with a torn Achilles tendon.
“Future is gonna be crazy,” McDonald said. “We’re definitely gonna be one of the better duos on the field.
“Jermaine is definitely a good edge rusher. Taught me a lot of things, [Haason Reddick] taught me a lot of things. … But I think with us, we can be those types of athletes that can be moved around anywhere, do whatever, pass rush, drop. We got a lot of agility. … Me and Jermaine, it’s going to be something you’re just gonna have to see.”
The Jets were eliminated from the playoffs earlier this month, extending the franchise’s postseason drought to 14 years.
With the Jets heading to Buffalo on Sunday, McDonald said the team still has “faith” it can finish the season on some sort of a high note.
On a more personal level, McDonald is hoping to finish the season strong.
“I just want to continue to ball out these last two games … just still be able to put that film out there no matter what the record is,” he said. “I just want to still be able to ball up, just get my name out there, just getting the respect that I deserve.”
Playing spoiler to Josh Allen’s MVP campaign would be a nice consolation prize, too.
“Yeah, I mean you’d love to do it,” he said. “You love to make plays, do what you need to do.”