A day after the Patriots released Kony Ealy, the Jets claimed the defensive off waivers, according to several reports.

Ealy joins a Jets defense that is stout up front. In addition to his cousin, Sheldon Richardson, there are also defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams. Inside linebacker Darren Lee, the team's 2016 first-round pick, looks to improve on an up-and-down rookie campaign, and the Jets bolstered the secondary by adding cornerback Morris Claiborne in free agency and using their first two draft picks on safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.

Of course, the Jets' offense could be one of the league's worst. It looks like 38-year-old journeyman Josh McCown will be the Week 1 starter because 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg continues to struggle. Former Jets wideout Brandon Marshall, who is now with the Giants, perhaps put it best this summer.

"Will they have enough people to line up? Man, that's the question," Marshall said

Ealy, meanwhile, began his career in Carolina in 2014, and his best performance came on the biggest stage in Super Bowl 50 against Peyton Mannning and the Broncos, Ealy had three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defended. And had the Panthers found a way to win, he would have been a legitimate MVP candidate. The Patriots traded for him this spring but cut ties with him when he struggled to fit into their defensive scheme.

Ealy has 14 sacks in his career, though he has never started more than nine games in a season.