# Jowon Briggs
**Jowon Briggs** (born 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the [New York Jets](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-jets) of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) (NFL). A seventh-round draft pick of the [Cleveland Browns](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-browns) in 2024, he was traded to the Jets during the 2025 training camp and became a starter during that season, finishing with 38 combined tackles and 4 sacks.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/) • [2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) He is also known outside football as a tenor singer and a multi-instrumentalist who plays 12 instruments.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001; age 25[4](https://nflmeta.org/players/jowon-briggs) |
| Physical | 6 feet 1 inch, 313 pounds; defensive line, jersey No. 91[5](https://www.newyorkjets.com/team/players-roster/jowon-briggs/) |
| Draft | 2024 NFL Draft, seventh round, 243rd overall, by the Cleveland Browns[4](https://nflmeta.org/players/jowon-briggs) • [6](https://media.browns.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/08112851/Updated-Player-Bios-for-Week-6.pdf) |
| College | Cincinnati (transferred after two seasons at Virginia)[5](https://www.newyorkjets.com/team/players-roster/jowon-briggs/) • [7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) |
| 2025 season | 17 games, 8 starts, 38 combined tackles, 4 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/) • [2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) |
| Pass rush | 12.6% pressure rate on 270 interior pass-rush snaps in 2025, fifth highest among players with 250-plus interior pass-rush snaps[2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) |
| Career totals | 28 games, 9 starts, 67 combined tackles, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles (through the 2026 season, week 5)[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/) |
## Early life and high school
Briggs grew up in [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati), Ohio, in a household with four older sisters, a younger brother, and parents who loved both music and sports.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) He played defensive tackle at Walnut Hills High School under head coach Gerry Beauchamp, was selected for the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game, and was named the Eastern Cincinnati Conference's Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 54 tackles and six sacks in 2018.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) Recruiting services rated him a four-star recruit: Rivals.com ranked him the No. 60 overall recruit in the nation and No. 3 defensive tackle, 247Sports.com ranked him No. 68 overall and No. 7 at the position, and ESPN.com ranked him No. 82 overall and No. 11.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs)
## College career
**Virginia.** Briggs began his college career at the [University of Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-virginia), where he played two seasons and started 14 games, totaling 39 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) As a freshman in 2019 he appeared in 13 of Virginia's 14 games with seven starts and became only the fifth Virginia freshman defensive lineman since 1986 to start a season opener, earning ESPN midseason freshman All-American honors.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) At Virginia he was also a tenor in the University Singers ensemble and part of the a cappella group The Hullabahoos, and he performed the national anthem before some Virginia basketball games.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) • [7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs)
**Cincinnati.** He transferred to the [University of Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-cincinnati) after two years.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) In 2021 he appeared in all 14 games, starting five of the final six including the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against No. 1 Alabama, and finished with 43 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) In 2022 he started all 13 games at nose tackle on a defense that ranked fifth nationally at 4.61 yards per play allowed, recording 60 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks on his way to All-AAC First Team honors.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) As a senior in 2023 he was one of four team captains, started 12 games at defensive end, and posted 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two sacks, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs)
## Professional career
**Cleveland Browns.** The Browns selected Briggs in the seventh round (243rd overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he signed a four-year rookie contract worth $4,108,564 with an $88,564 signing bonus.[6](https://media.browns.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/08112851/Updated-Player-Bios-for-Week-6.pdf) • [8](https://overthecap.com/player/jowon-briggs/11851) As a rookie in 2024 he played 6 games with no starts, recording 13 combined tackles and one opponent fumble recovery.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/)
**Trade to the Jets.** He was not on the Jets' roster until a few weeks before the regular season.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e)
**2025 breakout.** After Quinnen Williams was traded to Dallas during the season, Briggs replaced him and emerged as a pass-rushing, run-stuffing starter.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) He played all 17 games with 8 starts and set several career highs: 38 combined tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 36 pressures, and 1 forced fumble.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/) • [2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) Playing inside as a pass rusher, he took part in 270 snaps and generated pressure on 12.6% of them, a mark that ranked fifth in the league among interior rushers who had at least 250 pass-rushing snaps.[2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) Head coach [Aaron Glenn](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-glenn) described him as a big, strong player who stops the run and has shown a rise in his ability to rush the passer.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e)
**2026.** On March 5, 2026, the Jets exercised their exclusive rights tender on Briggs, keeping him from negotiating with other teams; exclusive rights free agents are players with fewer than three accrued seasons and expiring contracts.[2](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball) Through five games of the 2026 season he has 16 combined tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble, bringing his career totals to 28 games, 9 starts, 67 combined tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/)
## Music
Briggs is a tenor who has learned to play 12 instruments to varying degrees: recorder, piano, violin, viola, cello, stand-up bass, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, saxophone, flute, and harmonica.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) He started on the recorder in kindergarten, took up piano and then violin in second grade, and added singing and acting at a creative and performing arts school in Cincinnati; at Walnut Hills High School he played the lead role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in "Ragtime."[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) During the 2025 season, Jets special teams coordinator Chris Banjo asked him to sing in a team meeting, and he performed [Tevin Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/tevin-campbell)'s "Can We Talk" to a standing ovation from teammates.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e) He uses music to decompress, playing bass guitar with headphones at home and making recordings with computer programs.[3](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e)
## Personal life
Briggs is the son of Dalila and Jowon Briggs and has five siblings.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) He is married to Nyjae and is a father; his son Zane was born in 2023, and he also has an older son, Jowon, and a daughter, Reine.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs) He is a Cincinnati graduate who earned a certificate in computer science.[7](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs)
## References
1. [Jowon Briggs Stats Summary, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/jowon-briggs/stats/)
2. [Jets Re-Sign TE Jelani Woods; Team Exercises Exclusive Tender Rights on DT Jowon Briggs and LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, NewYorkJets.com (March 5, 2026)](https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-re-sign-te-jelani-woods-exercise-rights-to-jowon-briggs-marcelino-mccrary-ball)
3. [Jets D-lineman Jowon Briggs is a one-man band, a tenor who can tackle and play 12 instruments, AP News (December 16, 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/6c9083612095e28081b29df7e7703e8e)
4. [Jowon Briggs, NFLMeta](https://nflmeta.org/players/jowon-briggs)
5. [Jowon Briggs, New York Jets roster](https://www.newyorkjets.com/team/players-roster/jowon-briggs/)
6. [Updated Player Bios for Week 6, Cleveland Browns (2024)](https://media.browns.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/08112851/Updated-Player-Bios-for-Week-6.pdf)
7. [Jowon Briggs, 2023 Football Roster, University of Cincinnati Athletics](https://gobearcats.com/sports/football/roster/player/jowon-briggs)
8. [Jowon Briggs Contract Details, Over the Cap](https://overthecap.com/player/jowon-briggs/11851)
9. [Browns trade Jowon Briggs to the Jets, ClevelandBrowns.com](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-trade-jowon-briggs-to-the-jets)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Defensive tackles › Active defensive tackles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license