Read the full transcript from Jordyn Brooks' media availability on October 19, 2026.
How do you feel? Obviously, a bye week, has it been refreshing for you?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, 100%. Anytime you can get a little bit of break, couple days off of the wheels, giving your body some time to recover, it feels pretty good, man.
How tough was it for you to come out of that last game? I know you didn't stay out, but you're a guy who doesn't miss any snaps. Was it tough for you to come out of the game even for a little bit?
Jordyn Brooks: You never want to come out of the game, you know what I mean? And that's never been my mindset. Anything I can play through, I play through. So it was tough having to come out a couple of drives, but thankfully I was able to come back, finished the game.
Did the bye come at a good time for you considering that? Like would this past week been a tough one to make it through?
Jordyn Brooks: It did, honestly. I was a little mad at the bye week being so early at the beginning of the season, but it honestly came right on time. And not just for me, a lot of other guys banged up a little bit. I think this week gave us a chance to kind of recover.
What's the sense you get from the guys, the locker room, as far as how they came back from the bye week?
Jordyn Brooks: New energy, man. Just a chance to reset. Wasn't a friendly first five weeks of the season. It was tough, kind of going through that. And we still got to live with it, but I think that break gives you a chance to kind of reflect and kind of take a deep breath and I think that's what this team needed. And so come back this week ready, hungry and looking forward to playing the Jets.
What are some of those things that you might have worked on during the bye week that you normally don't get the chance on a normal game week?
Jordyn Brooks: Resting. Honestly, that's the biggest thing, just literally just laying down and just resting your body.
Coaches always talk about self scouting and how they use the bye to really dig into what has occurred in the previous games. What is something that you have heard or you know the defense can do better or differently after some self scouting?
Jordyn Brooks: I'd just say something that we can keep harping on is getting the ball in any way that we can. Capitalize on turnover opportunities, cleaning some things up in a run game and pass game. So really all around, to be honest with you. I think that defensively we've been taking a step forward, not where we want to go, but I think the trajectory that we're on right now, I like it. And so we're going to keep pounding, keep going to work and cleaning up everything that we can.
Obviously, it's never a good thing to get off to a slow start, but you've been, since you've been here, team has gotten off to a slow start and then picked up momentum. Is that something that you reinforce or remind the players on this team that it's not about how you start, but you can improve?
Jordyn Brooks: Last two years has kind of been that way since I've been here. Like you said, being able to kind of gather the troops and close the gap, have a fighting chance at the end of the season. Third time having to do that and so I think the message for me would be, to the guys who haven't been through something like this, is to keep going. You never know how this season is going to end up. I heard Brew say something about 12-0, I'm right there with him. Why not, you know what I mean? It's one week at a time, one play at a time. So my mentality is going to be the same. Having been through it last two years, like you said, you started out, I think 1-7, 2-6, closed the gap, had a fighting chance at the end. So I know it's real, I know it's possible. But the way to do that is to keep going, not letting outside noise affect us, not letting anything externally affect us as a group and staying together.
Talking about the importance of taking the ball away, what did you think about Chris Johnson's punch out last game?
Jordyn Brooks: It was nice, man. It was clean. It was exactly what he's been doing in practice. And if he wasn't going to get it, J-Rod was right there to get it. And so both of those guys, they got a great knack for punching that ball out. And so I'm excited to see if we keep doing it. I know those guys have been working hard and so it was a pretty cool play.
What was it like to have Kenneth Grant back? Where can this defense go with him back in the fold?
Jordyn Brooks: I think we keep going, man. I thought KG came in, made some good plays for us. Just a big, strong body out there in the middle of the d-line. Somebody that we're really counting on and relying on. And so as he's getting more comfortable getting back, getting back in shape, everything, I think it's only going to help us, ultimately help him as well.
Do you like to play the divisional games? Based on your experience, do you like the energy of the Jets, Dolphins games?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, I mean me personally, I like every game. NFL, nothing like it. But divisional games got a little bit more to it, a little bit more meaning to it. Those are the guys that you see twice a year, know a lot about, face these guys a bunch of times throughout the years. So I'm always excited to play any game, but especially divisional games. So I'm excited for this opportunity to go up there in New York.
Do you believe that there are rivalries anymore in the NFL?
Jordyn Brooks: I mean, yeah, I do. I think there's rivalries just because the history. Some of us haven't been here for a lot of the history, but I do believe that there's still rivalries in the NFL for sure.
A question about this team and the way you guys have been playing. To me, you guys might have been playing a little bit tight, afraid to make mistakes. Jeff Hafley said no, that's not the case at all. I'm wondering what you think, not to pit you against your coach, but is there a chance that you guys have been afraid to make mistakes, afraid to cut it loose? To me, it seems like you guys played a lot looser in training camp and preseason than now. Is it true or not true?
Jordyn Brooks: I mean, you never know. I can't say that somebody's playing tight, I can't say that he's not. You do want to see guys play free. Sometimes what stops you from playing free is losing, honestly. One loss carries into another so you kind of want to play perfect, you don't want to take a chance. So that's a real thing for everybody in the league, in any sport. That's why I kind of like this bye week. It just gives you a chance to reset, kind of just throw everything out the window that's happened and go out there and play loose, play free, play our best ball.
Not sure if Breece Hall will play yet, but Braelon Allen is a big back. I don't recall if you've faced him or studied film, but what is your familiarity with Allen's game?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, we played him a couple times last two years. I think he's a good back and big, strong, powerful running back. It's going to take about two, three to bring him down. So I'm looking forward to the challenge. Love playing great backs in this league.
