Takk McKinley may have solidified his spot on the Jets roster with a sack against the Giants

When Takk McKinley broke through late in the first quarter Saturday night and beat Giants tackle Evan Neal on his way to sacking quarterback Tommy DeVito, he could barely contain his excitement.

McKinley jumped up and celebrated a little, feeling like he was back. For McKinley, it was his first sack since 2021, when he was with the Browns.

That was before he tore his Achilles tendon. Before he played on the practice squads and active rosters of the Titans, Rams and Cowboys but didn’t play a single snap. And before he spent a year without a team after the Cowboys cut him in June 2023.

“It was unbelievable,” McKinley said after Saturday’s 10-6 win over the Giants. “My first sack since 2021. I’m just grateful to be out there and continue to chase my dream. I thank the Jets for giving me this opportunity. I had a lot of fun out there.”

Now the question is whether McKinley has done enough to stay in the job for the regular season.

It looks like he’ll make the 53-man roster once cuts are made over the next few days. Teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

McKinley joined the Jets in June after trying out at the team’s minicamp. He had a solid training camp and, with Haason Reddick still holding out, he’s positioned to take over as the Jets’ edge rusher.

If he does, it will be the culmination of a long road back for a player who was a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2017.

“It’s been tough,” McKinley said of his journey. “I’ve had to grow a lot, develop a lot. Being out of football for a year and a half, if I’m honest with you, it was tough. You have all this money, you’re out of the league. It’s easy to get in trouble. For me, I stayed hungry, I stayed motivated. I prayed every day. I’m just grateful that I had this opportunity.”

McKinley had 2 ½ sacks against the Giants and two tackles for loss. At one point, he celebrated his accomplishment by breakdancing on the field.

The Jets have a very crowded defensive line, even without Reddick. Jets general manager Joe Douglas has to make some tough roster choices at the position.

McKinley has shown a little more than the others, however, and should have a guaranteed place.

“He’s obviously got a pedigree, right? First-round talent,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “He’s got strength, length, speed, physicality, mindset. I’ve always said it, sometimes players take time for one reason or another. A lot of times they have to find themselves and I feel like he’s in a really good place right now, both physically and mentally. I think he’s done a really good job in training camp.”

McKinley, 28, said the key to his performance this summer has been confidence.

“I got drafted in the first round for a reason,” he said. “The NFL is the best of the best. You just have to have confidence in yourself. The Jets organization, the defensive line, Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Michael Clemons, Will McDonald, the defensive line coach, they all believe in me. That gave me that extra confidence to believe in myself and go with the flow. The system that we run, they let us go. For me, just go out there and wreak havoc. The system that we run, it’s just a blessing to be a part of.”

Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich played a big role in bringing McKinley to the Jets. Ulbrich recruited McKinley out of UCLA and was on the Falcons’ staff when they drafted him.

“That’s my guy,” McKinley said.

For McKinley, he said he continued to pursue his NFL dream to honor his grandmother and aunt, who raised him.

“They could have easily given up on me, but they didn’t give up on me,” McKinley said. “So for me, it was like I couldn’t give up on myself. I’m speechless right now. … The McKinleys are not quitters. I have two kids and they look up to me. I would give up on them if I gave up on myself.”