The Jets have had some new additions in their locker room lately – but not the kind that comes with the NFL’s constant roster turnover.

Recently, the defensive line’s side of the locker room has been littered with axes, painted in team colors and the phrase “Keep Choppin'." Look closely in each lineman’s locker and you may find some other goodies, too, like Steve McLendon’s shiny new samurai sword or other assorted knives.

It may sound like the Jets’ defensive front is building a medieval arsenal or stocking up for some bizarre zombie apocalypse. But the blades have all been gifted by position coach Andre Carter for a specific purpose.

“We have this warrior stick thing that we give away to the D-lineman who’s had the most productive points that game,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said.

Hence all the unexpected weaponry.

Basically, the premise is this: Carter has devised a point-based system, with a different value for all sorts of stats – like tackles, TFLs, sacks and more. Penalties cost players points, too.

“Even if you don’t make the play, if the ball is coming through your gap or something and you show in your gap late and make the ball carrier stop his feet or cut back or something, it takes plays like that into account that maybe the casual viewer won’t really see,” defensive end Henry Anderson said. “But you have a big impact on the success of the defense on that play.”

At the end of each game, the defensive lineman with the most points gets the “warrior stick” that week.

It sounds simple enough. But defensive coordinator Gregg Williams loves the premise – which makes sense, given he ran his own points-based leaderboard for the defense this spring, during minicamp and OTAs.

“All of us at this level should be and are addicted to competing," Gregg Williams said. “If you want to increase focus, if you want to increase accountability, if you want to increase discipline, if you want to increase execution – make it competitive. Then also make it be prideful.”

It seems as though Carter has been successful to that end.

“After every game ... they’ll show the sheet for the game and then the cumulative season stats,” Anderson said. “So it’s good seeing stuff like that and I think everybody wants to be up on the leaderboard of that every week.”

It doesn’t hurt that Carter keeps picking out good collector’s items, either.

“It’s just cool s--t every week,” Anderson said.

But, if the Jets are smart, they’ll ban their players from walking around with the weapons to avoid their own Chris Hanson situation; the former Jaguars punter gashed his leg while carrying a similarly inspirational axe around the team facility in 2003.

“Did not practice (sword injury)” wouldn’t look so good on the post-practice report.

Matt Stypulkoski may be reached at mstypulkoski@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @M_Stypulkoski. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.