Jowon Briggs Bio
Jowon Briggs is an American professional football defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing around 142 pounds, he plays on the interior defensive line and has drawn attention for his unusual combination of athletic background and musical ability off the field. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers and the Cincinnati Bearcats before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was later traded to the Jets in August 2025 and continues his professional career in the AFC East.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Briggs emerged from a strong local football scene and developed into a four-star high school recruit before beginning his college career at Virginia in 2019. His college path included a transfer to Cincinnati, where he became a first-team All-AAC selection and a team captain, setting the stage for his entry into the NFL.
Early Life and Background
Jowon Briggs was born on September 1, 2001, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Walnut Hills High School, where he played alongside classmates who would also pursue notable careers, including aspiring play-by-play broadcaster Alex Perez. At Walnut Hills, Briggs starred as a defensive tackle and earned first-team All-ECC and All-SWO District honors as a junior. As a senior, he was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-State, and first-team All-SWO District. He also competed in several national all-star events, including the Under Armour All-America Game.
Coming out of high school, Briggs was a highly recruited prospect. He was ranked as a four-star recruit, the 59th-best player nationally, the fifth-best defensive tackle, and the second-best player from Ohio in the 247Sports composite rankings. He chose to play college football for the Virginia Cavaliers over several other offers, including ones from the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines.
Path to American Football
Briggs began his college career at the University of Virginia in 2019, where he made an immediate impact. He started the first game of his true freshman season, becoming the first freshman on the Cavaliers’ defensive line to start an opener since 1986. He finished the year with 19 tackles and a sack and was recognized as a mid-season Freshman All-American. The following season, shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, he appeared in seven games.
Looking for a new opportunity, Briggs entered the NCAA transfer portal and joined the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2021. In his first year with the Bearcats, he played in all 14 games and recorded 43 tackles, four tackles-for-loss (TFLs), and three sacks. His strong performance helped him earn first-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) recognition the following season, when he posted 60 tackles and 4.5 TFLs. He returned for a final college season in 2023 as a team captain and honorable mention All-AAC choice, finishing his Cincinnati career with 130 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, and eight sacks across his time with the program. He also received invites to the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl, key pre-draft showcases.
Jowon Briggs Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Briggs’s first two college seasons at Virginia established him as a reliable interior defender. His freshman campaign in 2019, which included 19 tackles and a sack, signaled his potential, and he added seven more games of experience in 2020. Across his two years at Virginia, he tallied 39 tackles, seven TFLs, and four sacks, providing a foundation for his later development.
Cincinnati Bearcats Breakthrough (2021–2023)
At Cincinnati, Briggs developed into one of the top interior defensive linemen in the American Athletic Conference. In 2021, he appeared in all 14 games and contributed 43 tackles, four TFLs, and three sacks, helping anchor a Bearcats defense that made a run at a conference title. His performance earned him a more prominent role in 2022, when he recorded 60 tackles and 4.5 TFLs and was named a first-team All-AAC selection, the highest individual honor of his college career.
Briggs returned for a final season in 2023 as a team captain and finished with 27 tackles across 12 starts, earning honorable mention All-AAC recognition. He ended his Cincinnati career with 130 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, and eight sacks. His senior-year performances also earned him invites to the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl, two of the most prominent college all-star games leading up to the NFL draft.
Cleveland Browns Era (2024–2025)
Briggs was selected in the seventh round, 243rd overall, of the 2024 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He was waived on August 27, 2024, and shortly thereafter re-signed to the team’s practice squad. He earned a promotion to the active roster on December 2, 2024, giving him his first regular-season game action in the NFL.
New York Jets Era (2025–Present)
On August 20, 2025, Briggs was traded to the New York Jets along with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. The move gave him a fresh opportunity in the AFC East after a year in Cleveland’s organization. With the Jets, Briggs joins an active defensive line rotation and continues to build his professional resume in his second NFL season.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the key milestones of Briggs’s career are his record-setting 2019 start at Virginia, his 2022 first-team All-AAC selection, and his seventh-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft. He also earned pre-draft invitations to the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl, recognizing him as one of the top senior defensive line prospects in his class.
Jowon Briggs Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Briggs grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Walnut Hills High School, where he developed into one of the top high school defensive line prospects in the country. His background and Cincinnati roots helped shape his path to a college football career that included stops at Virginia and Cincinnati before he entered the NFL.
Personal Life
Outside of football, Briggs is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is also a serious musician who plays twelve instruments, including the recorder, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, saxophone, flute, and harmonica. During his time at the University of Virginia, he sang with its chamber choir, the University Singers, and an a cappella group called The Hullabahoos. He also performed The Star-Spangled Banner before several basketball games at both Virginia and the University of Cincinnati. His singing voice is a tenor.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NFL season represents Briggs’s first full year with the New York Jets following his August 2025 trade from the Cleveland Browns. Joining an AFC East defense, he adds depth to the interior defensive line and brings the experience of a full offseason in an NFL strength and conditioning program for the first time in his career.
After appearing in his first regular-season games with the Browns late in 2024, Briggs is expected to compete for a steady rotational role with the Jets in 2025. His combination of quickness off the ball, leverage at the line of scrimmage, and prior work in both Virginia’s and Cincinnati’s defensive schemes gives him a foundation to contribute on early downs and in pass-rush situations. The trade also placed him in a new defensive system, where he will continue to develop under the Jets’ coaching staff.
Looking ahead, Briggs’s 2025 outlook centers on establishing himself as a reliable depth piece on the Jets’ defensive line and building on the experience he gained in Cleveland. With two college programs and one NFL season now behind him, he enters the year aiming to grow into a longer-term role at the professional level.