The Jets and Bucs met for a second consecutive day and things weren’t quite as testy.  After several fights on day one, this session saw far fewer incidents.  But who stood out?

– Edge rusher David Bailey was very impressive yet again, winning several battles in the trenches and coming away with a few would-be sacks.

– Cade Klubnik threw a beautiful deep ball for a 50-yard touchdown to second-year receiver Arian Smith.  Some say it may have been the best pass of camp for any Jets QB.

– Geno Smith went 10-17 on the day in 11-on-11s and did a better job of protecting the ball than he did yesterday when he tossed three interceptions.

– Aaron Glenn revealed that cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers is in concussion protocol.  Stiggers passed out and temporarily lost consciousness yesterday.

– The Jets secondary got carved up by Baker Mayfield who, at one point, led the Bucs on a 65-yard touchdown drive.

– Wide receiver AD Mitchell stayed hot and scored a touchdown in 7-on-7s after getting open on a regular basis on day 1 but couldn’t do much as Geno Smith struggled with his accuracy.

– While cornerback D’Angelo Ponds has been out and won’t be back next week, Aaron Glenn anticipates an increased workload next week.

– Tight end Jeremy Ruckert had the catch of the day as he twisted and contorted to pull in an off-target throw early in the session.

– The Jets will face the Bucs at MetLife Stadium this Friday night at 7pm, where we’ll see if there’s any carryover from a chippy two days of joint sessions.

The Jets got together with the Tampa Bay Bucs  for a joint practice and here’s a rundown of how things went.

– There was a scary moment where cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers momentarily lost copiousness on the sideline.  He was responsive before being taken away by ambulance.  He has since been released from the hospital and is back at home.

– Things were ugly early on for the Jets on offense. Geno Smith threw three interceptions, and Tampa Bay returned one for a pick six.  Not an ideal start for the QB.

– Tempers were flaring as there were three different fights on the day.  For the Jets, David Bailey, Armand Membou and Kingsley Anagbare were heavily involved.  Membou was eventually pulled off the field by coaches to avoid further incident.

– Bailey did more than just mix it up after the whistle as he had several high level reps against the Bucs OL.

– Safety Jarius Monroe had an interception and safety Dane Belton made an excellent play on a PBU.

– Smith did bounce back and throw two touchdowns later in the day.  One went to Mason Taylor and the other to Garrett Wilson.

– Undrafted rookie free agent Jaden Keller who has flashed a few times in camp already, had a huge hit on a run stop that got the Jets sideline fired up.  With so little depth at linebacker, Keller is a UDFA with a shot to hang around if he keeps making plays.

– The two teams are scheduled to have a second joint session tomorrow.  Whether or not that happens after all of today’s scrapping remains to be seen.

– The Jets also released their initial depth chart yesterday and there were some mild surprises:

• QB Cade Klubnik is already listed as the team’s backup quarterback.
• Three different players were listed as the second safety next to Minkah Fitzpatrick; Dane Belton, Andre Cisco and Malachi Moore.
• Kingsley Enagbare was listed ahead of rookie David Bailey.
• Rookie UDFA Chip Trayanum was listed ahead of veteran Kene Nwangwu.  Trayanum is the better back, but we expected the vet to get the nod early on.

With rookies and veterans all checked in at 1 Jets Drive, we’re now just hours away from the New York Jets first practice of the 2026 season getting under way.  JetNation will be present for every practice with wall to wall coverage for every session.

As is the case with every club, every season, the Jets will have battles up and down the roster on both sides of the ball.  Surprisingly, for a team that just had the second pick in the draft and isn’t expected to make much noise this season, Gang Green is set with their starters at almost every spot.  Most of the battles this year will be taking place for second and third-string jobs.

QB2: 

If the Jets decide to keep just two quarterbacks then you’d have to imagine Cade Klubnik will be given every chance to win the backup job.  If they opt to keep three QB’s so there’s an experienced backup on the roster, they may give Bailey Zappe the nod early on or even look to add another QB via trade or free agency.

WR2: We like AD Mitchell’s chances to win the job opposite Garrett Wilson with Omar Cooper Jr. Getting plenty of run as well.  If Tim Patrick stays healthy he could be WR4 with Isaiah Williams and Arian Smith rounding out the group.

ILB3/4: DeMario Davis and Jamien Sherwood should win the starting jobs but based on how Mykal Walker played at the end of last season, he may beat out incumbent Marcelino McCrary-Ball.  Kiko Mauigoa, one of Darren Mougey’s draft picks last year, should be safe.

Safety: This is one of the more interesting groups on the roster due to the presence of Minkah Fitzpatrick whose role is still unknown.  If he’s going to be used as a chess piece who goes between true safety, slot and in the box, it could impact who is on the field with him at the same time.  Malachi Moore was decent as a rookie last season and could win a starting job but don’t rule out Dean Belton who could be a sneaky good signing.  You could even make a case for seeing Andre Cisco winning a job.  Lots of questions, not many answers…yet.

CB2: His hefty contract all but guarantees Brandon Stephens a serious edge to win the team’s CB1 job while Azareye’h Thomas, Nahshon Wright and possibly D’Angelo Ponds could battle it out for the second spot.  If Aaron Glenn feels Ponds is far and away the best slot on the roster it may keep him away from the boundary, leaving Thomas and Wright to battle it out.

K: Jason Sanders will go head-to-head with Cade York and has to be the favorite as one of the leagues best kickers just a couple of years ago with Miami.

LS: Incumbent Thomas Hennessy should be the favorite to beat out undrafted free agent Garrison Grimes.  Unless of course Grimes was hand picked by special teams coach Chris Banjo.

Former Jets safety Jamal Adams took to social media to let the world know that he has in fact reached out to the Jets about possibly returning to play for the Green and White.  Is Adams hoping nobody in the organization or fan base can recall his last stint that ended with Adams shooting his way out of town?

And with training camp right around the corner, here are our top fifteen current Jets according to, well…us.

1: WR Garrett Wilson: The unquestioned top receiver on the roster, Wilson could be primed for a big season.  Say what you want about quarterback Geno Smith, but the guy likes to let it rip and throw the ball deep down the field.  With Wilson’s elite speed and additional help on offense to draw some coverage away, we may actually see a career year from Wilson.

2: LB DeMario Davis: Age is the only reason we didn’t have Davis at the top of the list.  Easily the most accomplished player on the roster and a top 100 NFL player, Davis can’t keep playing at this level at 37-years-old, can he?  We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt at this point which should place him at or near the top of this list.

3: RB Breece Hall: We’ve predicted several breakout years for Hall over the past few seasons as we keep thinking that at some point, the Jets will get an offensive coordinator who plays to Hall’s strengths.  It hasn’t happened yet, but could Frank Reich be the guy to finally help Hall top 1,500 yards from scrimmage?

4: RT Armand Membou: Membou was one of the best rookie offensive linemen in the NFL last season and expectations are high entering year two.  Membou has the potential to become a top five tackle in the league.

5: DT T’Vondre Sweat: This may not be a popular selection for those who haven’t watched all that much of Sweat, but given what we’ve seen on film from him and the importance he’ll have in this defense as the Jets look to play more 3-4, we believe that by season’s end, he’ll win over fans who have questioned his motor and ability.

6: DB Minkah Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick has seen a huge dip in ball production in recent years but we’re hoping that pairing up with Aaron Glenn, who has done some great work with safeties in the past, will help him become the player who had multiple seasons of five interceptions in the past along with excellent work in run support.

7: DT Jowon Briggs: Perhaps the single best “bang for buck” move Darren Mougey has made, trading a late day 3 pick for Briggs prior to the start of last season looks to be a steal.  An impact pass rusher on the interior who is also a very good run stopper, his emergence was one of the most encouraging developments of the 2025 season.

8: QB Geno Smith: The veteran quarterback returns to the Jets with a pair of 4,000 yard seasons under his belt, but also with a ton of interceptions.  If Smith can clean that up, the Jets could be a fun team to watch on offense for the fist time in a long time.

9: WR AD Mitchell: Mitchell seems to have popped onto plenty of radars in recent months, but if you go back and watch some of the work he did late last season, you’ll see why the Jets insisted he be included in the Sauce Gardner deal.  Good enough to be a number two receiver, look for a breakout season from Mitchell.  A projection some will surely disagree with, but we’ll see in time if we’re on the mark or out of our minds.

10: RG Joe Tippmann: Tippmann had a very good 2025 in his first season at guard and was rewarded with a brand new hefty contract.  Should he take the leap we expect in his second year at the position, the Jets offensive line will be even better than many anticipate.

11: LT Olu Fashanu: Fashanu did some very good things last season but wasn’t quite the force we expected him to be.  Still a player with the ability to be one of the better tackles in the league, Fashanu will look to dominate in year three in hopes of being next in line for a huge contract.

12: Edge Will McDonald: While some will point to McDonald’s dip in production as evidence of slipping from the previous season, the fact of the matter is that McDonald was much better than the box score indicates.

13: TE Mason Taylor: This is a fairly big projection once again, but we believe Taylor, along with many other Jets last season, was hampered by horrendous quarterback play.  With a year under his belt and a better group of skill players on offense, look for a significant uptick in production.

14: Edge David Bailey: We realize he may be much higher on this list by season’s end, but with no pro production to point to we’re keeping the two rookies on this list in the bottom two spots.

15: CB D’Angleo Ponds: As many have said, had Ponds been a few inches taller, he would have been a first-round lock.  But checking in at 5′ 9”,  he was there for the taking much later than that.  We believe Ponds will show himself to be worthy of a starting spot on the boundary, but may stick in the slot if the other corners on the roster are holding their own outside.

With Geno Smith entrenched as the New York Jets starting quarterback this season, some fans are starting to wonder if Gang Green should be looking to add a more established backup.  Bailey Zappe is currently viewed as the team’s second QB and rookie Cade Klubnik will get every shot to take that job out of camp.  But should a more proven veteran option be on the table?

For a team unlikely to make the playoffs, parting with any assets to deal for a quarterback who will do nothing to change the trajectory of the season would make little sense.  Even if it’s a late-round pick, what could that possibly bring in return.  The Jets would be better off letting their current backups battle it out and hope Klubnik wins the job.

However, if Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn believe their team will make a playoff push and an more experienced backup would be desirable, here are the options they’d be looking at.

Cooper Rush: Rush is a free agent who some suggested the Jets may pursue in previous weeks and might be the best of a bad bunch.  The former Cowboy and Raven has a 9-7 record in sixteen career starts.

Anthony Richardson: The Colts former first-round pick has been given permission to seek a trade but he’s been terrible as a pro up to this point and the asking price for Richardson is unknown.

Jimmy Garoppolo: If Garoppolo is looking to return to the NFL, landing a backup job is the best he could hope for given his injury history.

Tanner McCkee: McKee is in a crowded QB room in Philadelphia and a deal would make sense if he were viewed as a possible long-term backup, but the reported asking price of a second-round pick should turn the Jets off if true.

Will Levis: A former second-round pick (33rd overall), Levis lost his job to first-round pick Cam Ward after starting just 21 games.  If he can be had for a day 3 pick Levis might be the best available option.  However, like all of the QBs mentioned above, he won’t change the trajectory of the Jets season.

JJ McCarthy: Another first-round pick who flopped in Minnesota after missing his first full season due to injury, there are some who believe McCarthy may be available via trade.  But if the Vikings don’t believe they can fix what’s wrong with McCarthy, can anyone?

In all reality, the best thing the Jets can do for themselves is to let Smith start the season at the top of the depth chart.  If he were to miss time for any reason, giving those reps to Cade Klubnik to evaluate him as part of the team’s future would be more beneficial than grabbing an injury prone veteran or a failed former pick who will have to start over with the Jets and has already used up valuable years on their rookie deals.

Fresh off the heels of a New York Knicks world championship, their first on over fifty years, Jets fans are asking once again; “When is it our turn?  When do we get to see our team win a ring?”.

A championship may never materialize, but in order for it to happen, the Jets will first have to snap their fifteen-year playoff drought.

While such a task is highly unlikely to happen this season, we thought we’d take a look at the key figures who would have to step up to make the playoffs even a remote possibility.  Some names blatantly obvious while some are less so.

As is the case with every team in the NFL, it starts with the quarterback.  If the Jets are hoping to even contend for a playoff spot, they’ll need Geno Smith to stay healthy while being closer to the player he was two or three seasons ago than the past two seasons where he threw a total of 32 interceptions.

If Smith is going to get back to being close to what he was in 2022 when he threw for over 4,000 yards while completing just under 70% of his passes, he’s going to need a receiver other than Garrett Wilson to step up.  If early indicators out of OTAs would offer any hints, AD Mitchell could be that guy.  As a pass catcher speed who has shown he can get open deep down the field, Mitchell could be the big play threat who opens things up for the tight ends underneath while making hit harder to double Wilson.

With a solid offensive line and backfield with Breece Hall expected to carry the load, there is the potential for the Jets to put up a lot of points.  But as is always the case, teams looking to win games have to win the turnover battle, which brings us to the next x-factor.

Having failed to intercept a single pass last season, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick becomes a huge figure for Aaron Glenn’s defense as the head coach takes over play calling duties.  Fitzpatrick has seen a significant dip in ball production with just two interceptions in the past two years, the Jets need something closer to the version of Fitzpatrick who intercepted twelve passes from 2020-2022.  If not Fitzpatrick, perhaps Andre Cisco can become the next safety to develop under Glenn.

Aside from needing somebody to step up in the secondary, the second level could also use a boost which is where veteran DeMario Davis comes in.  After opposing offenses ran the ball up and down the field last season, a player of Davis’ stature could go a long way bringing that to an end.

The Vegas odds makers have the Jets sitting at between five and six wins.  That’s the most likely outcome when the season comes to a close, but if a few players step up and elevate Gang Green on both sides of the ball, that unlikely playoff push won’t be as impossible as it seems.

Give credit to Jets GM Darren Mougey for continuing to lock up his quality young players by signing center Joe Tippmann to a four-year extension.  The deal will pay Tippmann up to $62 million with half of that guaranteed.

Tippmann becomes latest piece of the Jets puzzle to be given a new deal by Mougey who has also inked Garrett Wilson, Jeremy Ruckert, Breece Hall and (briefly) Sauce Gardner.

By extending Tippmann, the Jets have three of their five offensive line spots filled for at least the next few seasons with Olu Fashanu at left tackle and Armand Membou at right tackle.  Donald Parham and Josh Myers are projected to start at left guard and center respectively.

According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, the deal makes Tippmann the 15th-highest paid guard in the NFL.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Joe Tippmann extension is that the Jets continue to put an offense in place that should be a nice landing spot for whichever quarterback they take with their first pick in next year’s draft.  Mougey hasn’t only worked to steady the O-line, but has extended Wilson while trading for AD Mitchell, re-signing Breece Hall and drafting Omar Cooper Jr., Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor.

New York Jets great Mark Gastineau has a book out called Leaving the 99 for the one and he took the time to sit down JetNation.com as he and his wife JoAnn touched on a variety of subjects.

From a positive update on his health to his legal battles with ESPN, the current state of the Jets and his former friend and teammate Abdul Salaam.

Over the course of his career, Gastineau racked up over 100 sacks on the field, but had his fair share of legal troubles off the field.  Gastineau doesn’t shy away from any of these issues in his book which is a must-read for any Jets fan.  Gastineau also touches on his controversial playoff penalty against the Browns and repairing relationships with his adult children.

When the New York Jets open up OTAs this week, the big name folks will be interested in hearing about is rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik.  The rookie reportedly impressed during rookie minicamp and will now get his first shot to make plays against veteran NFL defenders.

Klubnik will garner plenty of attention simply by the nature of being a quarterback.  But who else should Jets fans be focused on?

Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper:

The Jets used two first round picks on tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper.  While OTAs won’t be padded or full contact, they will have a chance to try to get open against NFL defensive backs for the first time so fans will be tuned in to find out how they’re progressing.

AD Mitchell:

Mitchell is a possible x-factor this season as a speedy former second-round pick who flashed last season but was largely limited by putrid quarterback play.  If Mitchell looks like he may hit his ceiling, the Jets will have quite a lot to work with in terms of pass catchers in 2026 with Geno Smith under center.

Take a look at every AD Mitchell target and reception with the Jets last season right here.

D’Angelo Ponds:

The rookie corner who has draw comparisons to Aaron Glenn is good enough to play on the outside but is being viewed as a guy who will play a lot of nickel in 2026.  However, don’t rule out the possibility of Ponds outplaying any of the two boundary corners on the roster and garnering consideration for a permanent role outside.

Tight End Jelani Woods:

The Jets have what they believe is a quality trio of tight ends in Mason Taylor, Sadiq and Jeremy Ruckert.  However, Woods is a former Frank Reich draft pick from their time together with the Colts and he’s an intriguing option at 6′ 7”.  With more teams deploying 3-tight end sets, might he find a way to impress and win a roster spot?

Arian Smith:

Smith was a complete flop as a rookie, hauling in 7 balls for 52 yards on the season.  He did develop into a very good gunner on special teams, but is he going to manage to impress Jets brass in his second pro season?  OTAs would be a good place to start.

The 2026 NFL season will mark the third pro campaign for the Jets 2024 draft class which includes left tackle Olu Fashanu.  The group has been a mixed bag thus far with some quality performances, but also significant injury issues and small sample sizes.  This is indeed the year for several players to prove their worth.

Here’s a look at the full class with grades thrown in based on what we’ve seen up to this point.

LT Olu Fashanu (Round 1, Pick 11): 

Fashanu hasn’t been the elite left tackle from day one that many hoped the Jets were getting when they  took him with the 11th pick out of Penn State.  He didn’t start right away and had some hiccups as a rookie but has shown enough for the Jets to feel that his floor is long-term above average starter with enough time to elevate his game to becoming a top ten tackle.  If you can get that in the first round, you take it every time.

Grade: B

WR Malachi Corley (Round 3, Pick 65): 

The Jets must have known fairly early on that the Corley pick wasn’t a good one.  He spent just one season in Green and White and had two memorable incidents.  One included the receiver dropping what would have been his first career touchdown on the 1-inch line to celebrate a score that never happened.  Then when approached by star wide receiver DaVante Adams about selling his number (17), Corley said with a straight face that it would cost Adams a million dollars.  Corley now sits deep down on the Browns wide receiver depth chart.

Grade: F

RB Braelon Allen (Round 4, Pick 134):

Taken to be a bruising running back out of the backfield, Allen has yet to realize his full potential as he’s dealt with very limited reps as a rookie and then a season-ending injury in year two.  Allen has shown enough in his limited opportunities to give fans reason to believe he can be a very good back.

Grade: Incomplete

QB Jordan Travis (Round 5, Pick 171):

A huge roll of the dice for the Jets that came up snake eyes.  Travis was coming off of a major ankle injury so the Jets used a day 3 pick on a developmental quarterback with winning pedigree and elite leadership traits.  However, he would never take a snap as a Jet and we’ll probably never know who was at fault.

Travis sat out year one which was expected, but then abruptly retired after last year’s draft.  This was apparently the result of a significant setback during his rehab.

Did the Jets botch the rehab program, or did Travis engage in activities that weren’t recommended by the team?  Until we find that out, this is an almost impossible pick to grade.

Grade: Incomplete

RB Isaiah Davis (Round 5, 173):

Like Allen, Davis has seen limited reps, but he has managed to stay healthy and impress as a back who can run between the tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield and pick up the blitz.  Davis is a player who you feel would likely put up impressive numbers if given the opportunity.

In 33 career games, Davis has run the ball 73 times for 410 yards (5.8 ypc) and a touchdown.  How the Jets handle their running back room this season will be interesting as they’ve made it clear they plan on having a run-heavy system.

Grade: C+

CB Qwan’tez Stiggers (Round 5, 176)

Stiggers was a great story on draft day and gained national attention for being a drafted player who didn’t play any college football.  Everyone knew that day that he was going to be a multi-year project.  Well, it’s now been multiple years and Stiggers may have his first real shot to see some reps in 2026.

The Jets cornerback room isn’t terrible, but it’s far from having every spot locked down.

Stiggers has had some solid moments early on in his career, but it’s time to take the training wheels off and see what he kid can do.  With Brandon Stephens and Azareye’h Thomas penciled in as the starters, it’s not as if Stiggers is competing with the duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie for playing time.

Grade: Incomplete 

S Jalen Key (7, 257): Mr. Irrelevant became just that for the Jets as Key never played a snap as a pro, but as the final pick in the draft, he wasn’t likely graded much higher than most undrafted free agents.

Grade: F