Jets' Armand Membou is getting valuable lessons from Will McDonald
New York Jets offensive tackle Armand Membou answers questions from reporters during practice, Saturday, July 26, 2025 in Florham Park,NJ Credit: Noah K. Murray
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jets rookie right tackle Armand Membou experienced a couple of welcome-to-the-NFL moments on Saturday.
Late in practice, edge rusher Will McDonald showed his speed and power whle rushing the passer, beating Membou both times and in eyebrow-raising ways.
McDonald first used his quick spin move to get to Tyrod Taylor. Then, on one of the final plays, he bull-rushed the 6-4, 332-pound Membou, knocked him to the ground and got to Taylor again.
“Will is my biggest opp [opponent] right now,” Membou said. “Going against him was a really tough matchup, but it’s also really competitive and been really fun. After practice, too, I’ll go talk to him, just ask him tips about what he sees about my game.”
The still-developing McDonald has been one of the standouts through the Jets’ first four days of training camp.
“Sometimes I’ll go against him and I’ll just be thinking like, ‘How did he do that?’ ” said Membou, whom the Jets drafted with the No. 7 pick out of Missouri. “He’s just super-athletic. So going against someone like that, I know once I get to the game, it’s going to make me a lot better.”
McDonald, a first-round pick in 2023, led the Jets with 10.5 sacks last year. He’s bulked up and is putting the Jets’ two young tackles through some workouts that should help them prepare for what they will face in the regular season.
Left tackle Olu Fashanu, the Jets’ first-round pick last year, has matched up against McDonald too. Fashanu also has added some weight and muscle, but McDonald has beaten him with his combination of speed and power.
“Will’s one of those guys that honestly just moves differently than most players on the field,” Fashanu said. “The way that he’s able to just gain movement with no wasted movement or steps. It’s truly different. Me and Armand are going to get a lot better going against him every day.”
No one’s happier about that than Aaron Glenn, who is trying to create an ultra-competitive environment in his first training camp as a head coach.
Glenn has spoken highly of McDonald’s growth and potential. He is excited about McDonald’s development and the impact he can have on a game as well as the two young Jets tackles during this camp.
“His ability to rush with speed off the edge and then be able to rush with power — like those two rushes there [against Membou], he’s going to do a lot of damage in this league,” Glenn said. “It is great for Membou to see that, because there’s not a lot of guys with the agility and speed that Will has that he’s going to see in this league.”
McDonald showed the speed and his signature spin move throughout last season. Former Jets coach Robert Saleh said McDonald had to add power to his game, and he emphatically showed he has it on Saturday.
“It’s coaching,” Glenn said. “He can do it. You just said he’s never done it last year. Now you see him do it. It’s just coaching. That’s all it is.”
It’s also a teaching point for Membou on how he can prevent that in the future.
“I just got to be better,” he said.
McDonald is helping Membou and Fashanu get there.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
