Two years ago, he was named the team's MVP for a stellar breakout year.

One year ago, there was concern if he had played his final game with the team.

Despite the rollercoaster ride Jamien Sherwood has been on since the 2025 offseason with the New York Jets, the veteran linebacker seems to be back to his old shenanigans with the team this season.

That is, he's back to being one of the more underrated and better players at his position.

With his improved play come bigger questions about Sherwood's future with the team, though. And what his outlook will be beyond this upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins.

Sherwood's breakout

Through the first two weeks of the season, Sherwood appeared to be back to his 2025 form. He was slow to read, struggled in pass coverage, and was a net-negative player on the field.

Over the last three weeks, though, things have changed.

Pro Football Focus has graded Sherwood's season as the 31st-best of all linebackers in the league. His pass coverage grade ranks as the 22nd-best among all linebackers. Sherwood is playing the kind of football he did back in 2024: he's reading faster, he's instinctive, and he isn't afraid to use his athleticism to go downfield.

That was clear in New York's latest game, a 26-19 loss to the New England Patriots. Sherwood led the team with 11 tackles and even recovered a fumble early in the third quarter. However, his work in the fourth quarter really set him apart.

New York was down 10 midway through the final quarter. Demario Douglas and Drake Maye had connected on a 39-yard pass-and-catch. Douglas could have kept running for the game-ending score.

Instead, Sherwood ran 77 yards to not only get back into the play, but force a fumble that gave the Jets life. It was a hustle play coaches preach about never giving up on a play.

And highlights the breakout Sherwood is under.

If the veteran linebacker continues to play as he has over the last three weeks, his extension from last offseason will be well worth it, even if it raises some questions going forward.

Short-term plans

What makes Sherwood's bounce-back so important is the fact that the Jets have gotten poor play from their other linebacker. Demario Davis was brought in to provide veteran leadership and consistent play at the position.

So far, his leadership has been great, but his play on the field has not been remotely competent. PFF graded Davis as the 13th-worst linebacker in the sport this season. At 37 years old, Davis has taken a step back both in coverage and against the run, which isn't good for a roster that gave him a two-year deal in the offseason.

Sherwood's play can mask some of Davis' struggles, though. Teams can target the veteran in coverage, but Sherwood has improved in that area. Instead, New York could utilize Davis in a way that focuses his efforts at the line of scrimmage.

In that capacity, the team should be thrilled with Sherwood's play. He's covering up a lot of the schematic defensive breakdowns this season.

But how long will that continue?

Long-term questions

At 2-4, the Jets are entering a two-week stretch of must-win games. If the team beats the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders, the Jets will move to 4-4 going into the midway point of the season and the trade deadline.

Getting to .500 would give general manager Darren Mougey a reason to "buy." Any loss in between, though, would drop the Jets to 3-5 or worse. That would not be enough to provide the front office with a reason to buy into this current core. If anything, it may lead the front office to sell some of the assets on expiring contracts.

At first glance, Sherwood is not a player from that perspective. A potential pre-June 1st release that would save the Jets $11 million in cap space despite a $7.5 million cap hit. But those numbers are based on when the season ends. Not now. It would be extremely hard for the Jets to move on from Sherwood until the 2027 offseason.

That said, his improved play does bring up interesting questions moving forward.

If he continues to play well, the Jets will want to move forward with him as their starting lead backer instead of an aging Davis. It will also call his contract into question. Sherwood being the 31st-best linebacker is nice. It's a solid ranking.

But is that an acceptable number for a player currently ranked as the 10th-highest-paid player at the position? No. Sherwood still needs to play better to be worthy of his current contract. If not, the Jets won't be able to justify another year of Sherwood under the current numbers.

So while Sherwood's play is important, there will need to be an even bigger jump going forward.