Quarterback

The Jets have by far the longest playoff drought in the NFL, not making the post-season since 2010, while every other team has made it since 2017, with all but one other team making it since 2020. Complete organizational dysfunction has been to blame. The Jets have used six draft picks in the first two rounds on quarterbacks since 2006 and not a single one has worked out for them, with multiple going on to have success elsewhere. They have had five different head coaches since 2015. They traded for Aaron Rodgers and in his two seasons with the team they got one season missed due to injury and another season where he had the worst passer rating of his 18 seasons as a starter.

After failing with another quarterback last season, reclamation project Justin Fields, the Jets seemed to go all in on tanking and rebuilding midway through last season. They traded their two two best players, interior defender Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner, in trades that netted them an extra first and second round pick this year and two extra first round picks next year. They played undrafted rookie Brady Cook at quarterback for the final four and a half games of the season even though he was completely outmatched, leading to five straight losses by 23 points or more to end the season, the longest such streak in NFL history. Overall, the Jets finished last season dead last season in schedule adjusted efficiency, struggling mightily on both sides of the ball, ranking 31st on offense and 29th on defense.

Unfortunately, that did not result in the Jets getting a high pick to draft a potential franchise quarterback, as they ended up with the second pick in a draft with only one clear franchise quarterback prospect. Now the Jets will turn their attention to the 2027 NFL draft, when they will have three first round picks as a result of the aforementioned trades. The Jets traded for a stopgap option at quarterback in Geno Smith, who was originally drafted by the Jets in the second round in 2013, failed with the Jets, only to later find success with the Seahawks, before ending up with the Raiders last season, where he struggled, completing 67.4% of his passes for an average of 6.75 YPA, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Now going into his age 36 season and not in a good situation in which to try to bounce back, it is very possible the Jets will end up having Geno Smith both before and after he was good.

The Jets took a shot in the fourth round of the draft on quarterback Cade Klubnik, but he is nothing more than a dart throw and seems highly unlikely to develop into the long-term starter. He will at least be the backup as a rookie as he is a better option than Brady Cook, their only other alternative on the roster, and, in what figures to be a lost season, Klubnik figures to at least get a few starts at some point as the Jets try to see if he has anything before deciding whether or not to draft a quarterback in next year’s draft. This is arguably the worst quarterback room in the league.

Grade: C

Receiving Corps

One area the Jets should be better this year is the receiving corps. Last year they were led in receiving by Garrett Wilson, who only had a 36/395/4 slash line and didn’t catch a pass after week 6 due to injuries. This season, Wilson should be healthier and they added a pair of pass catchers early in the draft, taking tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper with the 16th pick and the 30th pick respectively. The Jets will also get a full season out of Adonai Mitchell, who was acquired in the Sauce Gardner trade, and they could get a better season out of tight end Mason Taylor, a 2025 2nd round pick who has the potential to take a step forward in his second season in the league.

Garrett Wilson, first round pick in 2022, has averaged 1.70 yards per route run in his career, while exceeding 1,000 yards receiving in every season in the league except his injury plagued 2025 season, and he has never missed a game aside from last season, so he isn’t an injury prone player. Still very much in his prime in his age 26 season, Wilson should bounce back in 2026 as long as he can avoid further injury. 

Behind Wilson, Omar Cooper will likely be the #2 wide receiver right away and, while he could have some growing pains as a rookie, he should still be an upgrade over the other receivers they had last season. Adonai Mitchell, meanwhile, was a second round pick in 2024 and has averaged 1.48 yards per route run in his career. There is no guarantee he ever reaches his potential, but he isn’t bad as far as #3 wide receivers go.

Kenyon Sadiq also figures to be heavily involved in the offense in year one and, like Cooper, he could struggle through growing pains, but should still be an upgrade for this receiving corps. Mason Taylor also still figures to be involved in the offense, even as the likely #2 tight end. He averaged 1.05 yards per route run last season and could see that increase in his second season in the league, although his overall production (44/369/1) might dip due to decreased usage with Sadiq being added to the mix. 

The Jets also have 2025 4th round pick Arian Smith, who was a disaster as a rookie, averaging just 0.21 yards per route run, but he is just a backup option now and could take a step forward in his second season in the league and become a decent #4 receiver. If not, the Jets added veteran Tim Patrick in free agency for additional depth. He has averaged 1.39 yards per route run in his career, though he is now going into his age 33 season and has averaged 1.15 yards per route run over the past two seasons. This isn’t a great receiving corps, but it is a decent overall group, which is more than could be said about last year’s group. The lack of a decent quarterback will hold them back from their statistical potential though.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

The Jets also have a solid running back in Breece Hall. The Jets attempted to trade Hall at the deadline last year as well, but didn’t get offers to their liking and opted to keep him and ultimately lock him up on a 3-year, 43.5 million dollar contract that makes him the 5th highest paid running back in the league in terms of average annual salary, after franchise tagging him this off-season. In four seasons in the league since being selected in the second round in 2022, Hall has rushed for 3,398 yards and 18 touchdowns on 755 carries, good for a 4.50 YPC average, while averaging 3.26 yards per carry after contact, a 18.0% missed tackle rate, and a 45.8% carry success rate. 

Hall is also a big part of the Jets’ passing game, averaging 1.51 yards per route run in his career. He tore his ACL as a rookie, but has missed just two games in three seasons since, while averaging 225 carries per season, and he doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects from his injury. He’s not an elite back and the Jets probably overpaid to keep him, but he could be a useful part of a good offense if the Jets can get there before Hall gets too old.

Depth behind Hall is a concern though. Braelon Allen was supposed to be the backup last season, but he suffered a serious knee injury and missed the final 13 games of the season. The 2024 4th round pick now has just 110 carries in two seasons in the league and hasn’t shown that much, averaging 3.73 YPC, with 2.81 yards per carry after contact, a 10.0% missed tackle rate, a 50.9% carry success rate, and 1.07 yards per route run. The youngest player in his draft class, Allen is still only going into his age 22 season, younger than a lot of rookies, so he still has significant upside if he is past his injury, but there is no guarantee he is a useful complement for Hall this season. 

In Allen’s absence, Isaiah Davis was the primary backup, but he had just 43 carries, leaving a lot of the burden on Hall. A 5th round pick in 2024, Davis has averaged 5.62 YPC on 73 career carries, with 3.88 yards per carry after contact, a 17.8% missed tackle rate, a 47.9% carry success rate in his career, but only across 73 carries, as he has primarily played in passing situations (76.4% of his career snaps have come on pass plays). Especially with Allen returning from injury, Davis figures to again play primarily in passing situations, where he has a decent 1.19 yards per route run average in his career. Even with depth concerns, this isn’t a bad backfield.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Jets bring back four of five starters on the offensive line from a year ago, with the exception being left guard, where free agent addition Dylan Parham replaces free agent departure John Simpson. Parham is only a marginal starter, but he should still be an upgrade over Simpson, who was a liability. The Jets did also lose right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency, but he tore his triceps before the season even started and missed the whole season, so that isn’t really a loss.

When Vera-Tucker went down, the Jets moved center Joe Tippman to right guard to replace him and plugged in veteran backup center Josh Myers at center. Tippman, a 2023 2nd round pick, was an above average center in his second season in the league in 2024, but wasn’t quite as good at right guard in 2025, playing at about an average level. Myers, meanwhile, was a liability at center, as he has been throughout his career (73 starts in five seasons in the league). The Jets only added 6th round pick Anez Cooper at guard this off-season and re-signed Myers to a 2-year, 11 million dollar deal, so they will keep the same set up in 2026, due to the lack of a better option.

Tackle is the strength of this line, where the Jets’ 2024 and 2025 first round picks are. Armand Membou, selected 7th overall in 2025, was the Jets’ best offensive lineman as a rookie, playing at an above average level in 17 starts at right tackle. Olu Fashanu, selected 11th overall in 2024, was not quite as good, but he has been solid in each of his first two seasons in the league, taking over as a starter midway through his rookie year and starting 24 games since. Both have the upside to be better in 2026 than they were in 2025.

Aside from Vera-Tucker, who is no longer on the roster anyway, none of the Jets’ offensive linemen missed any time with injury last season, but that is highly unlikely to happen two years in a row, which would expose their limited depth. Aside from rookie guard Anez Cooper, the Jets’ reserve options are Max Mitchell, a hybrid guard/tackle who has been mediocre in 17 starts in 4 seasons in the league, Xavier Newman, a hybrid guard/center who has been mediocre in 5 starts in 4 seasons in the league, and Chukwuma Okorafor, who has mostly struggled in 60 career starts at tackle, with his most recent start coming in 2023. The Jets’ lack of depth figures to become an issue at some point for an offensive line that even at full strength is an underwhelming group overall.

Grade: C+

Interior Defenders

While the Jets’ mid-season trades last season suggested a full rebuild, the Jets did not operate like a team planning for the long-term in free agency this off-season, adding several veterans over 30 on defense who simultaneously won’t be around long-term, but could also hurt their draft position in the short-term by helping the Jets win a game or two that they would have not otherwise. One of those veterans was interior defender David Onyemata, who is going into his age 34 season.

Onyemata was a consistently above average player in his prime, but he has only been an average player over the past two seasons, totaling just 4 sacks, 3 hits, and a 6.3% pressure rate in 34 games (down from a 9.5% pressure rate in the previous six seasons combined), while playing at just an average level against the run. He figures to continue declining in 2026 and making his addition even more puzzling is the fact that the interior defender position was already a strength for the Jets.

The Jets traded Quinnen Williams, one of the top interior defenders in the league, to the Cowboys midway through last season, but, in his absence, Jowon Briggs broke out. Briggs finished the 2025 season with 4 sacks, 6 hits, and a 11.9% pressure rate, and, in the final 9 games of the season after the Quinnen Williams trade, he had 29 total pressures, good for 7th most in the NFL among interior defenders from week 10 on. His run defense was a little subpar, but he more than made up for it with his pass rush ability. 

Briggs was only a 7th round pick in 2024, but his breakout didn’t come out of nowhere, as he flashed potential as a rookie, albeit across just 133 snaps. It’s possible Briggs won’t be as good again in 2026 as he was in 2025, but he should still remain at least an above average interior pass rusher and it’s possible he has permanently turned a corner and will continue rushing the passer at the level he did last season.

The Jets also supplemented their interior defender room before free agency even started, trading edge defender Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat, a 2024 2nd round pick, is a massive run stopper at 6-4 362, but he also gets more pass rush than you’d expect from someone of his size, totaling 3 sacks, 5 hits, and a 7.4% pressure rate in 29 career games. Sweat entered the league with a huge upside and, now going into his third season in the league, it is possible he keeps getting better.

The Jets also have veteran holdover Harrison Phillips, whose role becomes more unclear with Onyemata being added to the mix. Phillips played 692 snaps last season and was an above average run defender and a below average pass rusher (3.2% pressure rate), as he has been throughout his career (career 5.2% pressure rate), but he is going into his age 30 season, so he could decline this season. The Jets also could save 7.5 million in cash and cap space by releasing him before the start of the season, which seems like a possibility. 

Further adding to the possibility of Phillips being released is the fact that the Jets used a 4th round pick on Darrell Jackson, a run defense first prospect, to add even more depth to this position group. Jackson likely won’t have a role as of now, but he could see deep reserve snaps if Phillips is moved before the start of the season or if someone suffers an injury. This is a talented position group with good depth.

Grade: A

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, the Jets traded Jermaine Johnson (678 snaps) to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat this off-season, a trade the Jets won because Sweat is on a cheap rookie contract for two more years, while Johnson is owed 13.411 million in the final year of his first round contract in 2026, and because Johnson was underwhelming for them last season, finishing with just 3 sacks, 4 hits, and a 8.9% pressure rate, while playing middling run defense. 

The Jets also lost Micheal Clemons (578 snaps) as a free agent this off-season, but he will be missed even less, as he was a solid run defender, but a terrible pass rusher, with 1 sack, 5 hits, and a 6.8% pressure rate. To replace Johnson and Clemons, the Jets signed Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency and then used the 2nd overall pick on David Bailey. Those three will play significant roles along with holdover Will McDonald, who was their best edge defender a year ago. 

Bailey is very NFL ready and should be an above average starter in year one, opposite McDonald. A first round pick in his own right, selected 15th overall in 2023, McDonald has totaled 18.5 sacks, 24 hits, and a 12.2% pressure rate in 32 games over the past two seasons, after playing sparingly as a rookie. McDonald leaves something to be desired as a run defender, but his pass rush ability more than makes up for it. He was a relatively old rookie and is already in his age 27 season, so he probably is who he is at this stage of his career, but he should at least stay in his prime for multiple more seasons.

Bailey and McDonald starting leaves Ossai and Enagbare as the reserves, but both will still have significant roles. Ossai was a 3rd round pick in 2021 and took a few years to develop, but is coming off of a career best year in 2025, in which he played a career high 616 snaps, totaled 5 sacks, 9 hits, and a career high 11.5% pressure rate, while playing above average run defense. He’s never been that good before, but, unlike some of the Jets’ free agent signings, he is still relatively young, only going into his age 26 season, so it is possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain a solid all-around player.

Enagbare is also only going into his age 26 season, but he isn’t as good of a player. Playing 468 total snaps, Enagbare only had 2 sacks, 6 hits, and a 9.9% pressure rate last season, while playing middling run defense and that is very much in line with how he has played through four seasons in the league. In 68 career games, the 2022 5th round pick has 11.5 sacks, 21 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate, while playing consistently middling at best run defense and averaging 474 snaps per season. He’s not bad depth to have, but is clearly the Jets’ 4th best edge defender. This is a decent, but unspectacular position group overall.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

The oldest player the Jets added this off-season was linebacker Demario Davis, who is one of the oldest defensive players in the league, going into his age 37 season. Davis hasn’t dropped off much, if not at all yet, playing at an All-Pro level in 2025. Davis has been extremely durable in his career, missing just two games in 14 seasons in the league, which has probably helped him age so gracefully, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did decline at least somewhat in 2026. Even if he doesn’t, he doesn’t fit the Jets’ timeline at all, so he was a weird addition.

Davis will start next to Jamien Sherwood, a solid linebacker in his own right, albeit not as good as Davis. Sherwood has played 1,063 snaps and 1,110 snaps in the past two seasons respectively and has been a slightly above average every down player in both seasons. Still only in his age 26 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2026. Sherwood was the Jets’ only good linebacker last season though, as Quincy Williams, Kiko Mauigoa, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball all struggled across 783 snaps, 328 snaps, and 106 snaps respectively. Williams left as a free agent, leaving Mauigoa and McCary-Ball to compete for the third linebacker job and both figure to be a liability.

McCrary-Ball began last season as the third linebacker, but missed the final 13 games of the season due to injury. This season, Mauigoa is probably the favorite for the job, as he was a 5th round pick in 2025 and has a higher upside, while McCrary-Ball went undrafted in 2022 and has played just 3 defensive snaps in his career other than last season. Fortunately, the Jets will not use three linebackers together frequently, so whoever wins the third linebacker job likely won’t have to play much, but that would change if one of their top-2 linebackers got hurt. The lack of depth is a minor concern in a position group where the two starters are one of the best starting duos in the league.

Grade: A-

Secondary

The Jets also traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick this off-season and he is going into his age 30 season. Fitzpatrick has been a consistently above average safety in his career and he will benefit a position group that had six different players make starts last season, largely ineffectively, but Fitzpatrick could start to decline this season and, even if he doesn’t, his age makes him a weird fit for the Jets’ timeline. Fitzpatrick will start next to Andre Cisco, who was the Jets’ best safety by default last season, but who only played in eight games due to a season ending shoulder injury. 

Cisco was only an average starter and has only been an average starter throughout his 5-year career, but that still makes him better than the alternatives. Still only in his age 26 season, he should continue being an average starter in 2026. Meanwhile, Malachi Moore, a 2025 4th round pick who led this position group with 949 snaps last season and was below average, will be the third safety. He could take a step forward in his second season in the league and ultimately is an above average third safety option.

Cornerback was also a big problem for the Jets last season, especially after Sauce Gardner was traded. All in all, nine different players made starts for the Jets at cornerback last season and almost all of them other than Gardner struggled. The Jets didn’t make any huge additions at the cornerback position this off-season, but they signed veteran Nahshon Wright and used a second round pick on D’Angelo Ponds. Along with Brandon Stephens, whose 1,047 snaps made him the only Jets cornerback above 400 snaps last season, those will likely be their top-3 cornerbacks this season.

Stephens did play a lot last season, but he was a below average starter, as he has been throughout his career, with 64 starts in 81 games in five seasons in the league. He figures to continue struggling this season. Nahson Wright came out of nowhere to play 1,040 snaps and intercept 5 passes with the Bears last season, after the 2021 3rd round pick only played 272 total snaps in his first four seasons in the league combined, but Wright also gave up a lot of big plays, in addition to the interceptions, and interceptions tend to be inconsistent on a year-to-year basis. If his interception total decreases and he continues giving up big plays, he will be a liability for the Jets. 

Ponds, meanwhile, is not a bad option, but he is only a rookie, so, overall, this is an underwhelming top-3 at cornerback. The Jets also have 2025 3rd round pick Azareye’h Thomas, who struggled across 311 snaps last season, but who still has a high upside and who could be better in his second season in the league in 2026. He will probably start the season as the 4th cornerback, but could easily find himself starting by seasons’ end, due to injury or ineffectiveness of one of the cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. The Jets’ should get better safety play this season, but cornerback is still a big problem for them.

Grade: C+

Kickers

Nick Folk was the strength of the Jets last season, ranking 3rd in the NFL with 10.86 points added above average, after ranking 2nd with 10.48 points added above average in 2024. However, the Jets lost him in free agency and both of their replacement options would be massive downgrades. Cade York is the experienced option, but he has cost his teams 17.16 points compared to average in just 23 career games, an average of 0.75 points lost per game that is the worst of any kickers in at least the past 10 seasons who has kicked in at least 20 games. Meanwhile, Lenny Krieg, York’s competition for the job, is a 2025 undrafted free agent who has never played in an NFL game. Whoever wins the job figures to be a liability in 2026, perhaps a massive liability. 

Grade: C-

Conclusion

The Jets figure to be one of the worst teams in the league. In addition to having arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league and a subpar roster overall, the Jets also have one of the worst coaching staffs in the league, led by head coach Aaron Glenn, whose defenses have consistently underperformed their talent level throughout his years as a defensive coordinator or head coach. They should be in the mix for another high draft pick again in 2026.

Prediction: 4-13, 3rd in AFC East