Hello Jets fans! Congratulations on your recent acquisition of free agent edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
As exciting as this time is, you’re no doubt wondering what kind of player, exactly, your team has just signed, and I’m here to help as much as I can. Here’s a brief overview of Enagbare’s career, what he brings to your team, and what you might want to watch out for as your newly signed free agent takes the field in a new uniform.
The Green Bay Packers selected Kingsley Enagbare with the 179th pick
in the 2022 NFL Draft. Za’Darius Smith had departed that offseason under contentious circumstances, and the Packers needed depth at that position. Enagbare, a decent athlete with decent college production, looked like exactly what the doctor ordered. Behind veteran Preston Smith and ascending Rashan Gary, who was coming off his best season in 2021, Enagbare would be able to get his feet wet slowly as he settled into NFL life.
Then Rashan Gary tore his ACL in Week 9 of the 2022 season, and suddenly Enagbare was one of the most important defensive players on the roster. After never playing more than 50% of the snaps in a given game during the first half of his rookie season, he only played fewer than 50% of the snaps in a game once the rest of the year, including two playoff games.
With Gary’s return at the start of the 2023 season, Enagbare returned to his rotational role, and there he basically stayed for the rest of his time in Green Bay. Over the past three seasons, he’s averaged about 45% of the team’s defensive snaps.
The good: Enagbare is a durable, reliable rotational rusher
“Average” is a pretty good starting point if you want to understand Enagbare as a player. It’s not that he’s an “average” player (though, broadly speaking, he essentially is). It’s that if you average out his career stats, they’ll all be within a tick or two, plus or minus, of his stats in that category in a given season. He’s remarkably consistent.
He’s also durable. Across four seasons, he’s never missed a game — an even more remarkable feat considering he was believed to have torn his ACL in the Packers’ 2023 Wildcard Round win over the Dallas Cowboys. Fans — and the Packers themselves, it would seem based on reporting at the time — spent most of the offseason believing Enagbare would be limited at the start of the 2024 season. But when training camp rolled around, there he was, in uniform and ready to go. It turned out his knee injury didn’t need surgery, and after an offseason of intensive rehab, he was ready to play as though nothing had happened.
Enagbare won’t generate tons of pressure, but he’s gotten pressure on about 9% of his career pass rushes, and that’s in line with what he produces in a given season. He’s also a stout run defender, setting a firm edge despite being a relatively light (for the Packers, who prefer bulkier edges, historically) 258 pounds.
But Enagbare is rangy and raw-boned, and he’s got plenty of what will probably eventually grow into old man strength even though he’s just turned 26. He may not give you 65-70 snaps a game, but when he’s on the field, he’ll be a reliable run defender and a solid enough pass rusher. He’ll also give you between 150 and 200 assignment-sure special teams snaps per year.
And on top of all that, he goes by the nickname JJ. Why? Because he liked the show Jay Jay the Jet Plane as a kid.
The bad: Enagbare should be limited to a supporting role
It’s not necessarily a criticism of Enagbare to point out that he’s not a star pass rusher; teams need players that aren’t superstars. But this is a bit of friendly advice about expectations regarding what he can bring to his new team: don’t expect eye-popping numbers.
Enagbare is a decent enough athlete, but nobody will ever confuse him for an explosive pass rusher. Most of his pressures and sacks are the result of his slow-burn, cleanup style. He’s not beating a lot of linemen with his first step, and he’ll probably never hit double digit sacks in a year. He’s just not that kind of player.
Bottom line: Enagbare is a solid rotational pass rusher and run defender, but little more
Enagbare is one of those players who’s exactly what he says on the tin: This is a rotational rusher, and if you keep him in a rotational role, he’ll more than meet your expectations.
But if you want him to be a starter, play starter’s reps, or lead your team in a significant statistical category, you’re probably going to be disappointed. He can be very solid in a small role, but ask too much more and you’ll be disappointed.
