The Jets are still sorting through a few moving parts, but Aaron Glenn doesn’t sound eager to make a change at quarterback. He said Geno Smith is “really just finding his rhythm on who he is and what he does best,” and the message around the veteran has been one of patience rather than panic.
That support comes with a little nuance. An AFC scout described Smith this way: “Geno is a better passer and better processor [than Fields], but sometimes you question his decision-making because he’s so confident with his arm and his ability but less of an athlete,” before adding, “Geno is a better quarterback; Justin is a better athlete.”
Backup Cade Klubnik also backed Smith while stressing the bigger picture. “It’s a tough environment, and it’s a very hard position to play and only so many can really do it,” Klubnik said.
“There’s not very many that can do it at the level he’s doing it right now. The result of every game isn’t just based off how the quarterback plays; it’s a team effort.
I just try to support him and always just be the best teammate and leader that I can for him.”
Elsewhere in New York, Will McDonald’s situation has grown tense. Per Brian Costello, the Jets defensive end asked for a trade after having multiple conversations about a bigger defensive role, but those talks never led anywhere. Costello also reported that McDonald was frustrated that other teams had discussions with offers near a second-round pick, while the Jets have not been willing to move him.
Glenn also explained a less conventional move on special teams, saying the team added fullback Andrew Beck to kickoffs because he could help cover them. “It was a way to get another quality player onto our unit that actually can cover the kicks.
I thought it worked out really well for us,” Glenn said, via The Athletic. “Those are things I’m always going to look at - things that are out of the box thinking with good players on the field.
We’re missing a number of players because of injury. Anytime we can think outside of the box to try to improve our units, that’s what we’re going to do.”
In Miami, Jeff Hafley’s focus was much simpler: cut out the mistakes. After the Dolphins’ loss to the Lions, he pointed straight at penalties as the thing that kept putting the team behind the chains.
“The penalties put us in a lot of hard positions where we were in a lot of get-back-on-track situations where it’s hard to stay balanced,” Hafley said, via ESPN. “When you’re able to stay ahead of the sticks at second-and-6 rather than second-and-15 or first-and-15 or second-and-20, I mean, it’s hard to call anything.
And that’s where we have to be better. We have to stay on track.
It’s not OK to have it second-and-20 or first-and-20. We can’t play the game like that.
So a lot of it, again, give them credit, but a lot of it was self-inflicted yesterday that we have to be better at.”
He added that the team can’t shrug it off as a one-time issue. “You’d hope to say it was a one-off, but we can’t make excuses.
We can’t have that many penalties. I mean, we’re not going to be efficient to play the game that way and we’re not going to win if we continue to have penalties like that,” Hafley continued.
“Since the bye week, it had been better, but it wasn’t good enough yesterday. So again, let’s look at what we did lately and let’s correct it.”
In Other News...
Chop Robinson Is Giving Dolphins Fans A Very Intriguing Problem
Chop Robinson has already turned a limited sample into one of the more interesting development stories on Miamis defense. The Dolphins edge rusher has been productive when he gets after the quarterback, piling up 30 total pressures on 166 pass rushes and showing the kind of burst that can change a game even without a huge workload.
The wrinkle for Miami is simple: there have not been many chances to unleash him. Because opponents have thrown so little against the Dolphins this season, Robinsons opportunities have been capped, but the production is loud enough to make you wonder what it could look like if his role grows. For a defense always looking for more disruption off the edge, that is the kind of problem worth having. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Should Be Careful Judging Malik Willis Right Now
Malik Willis remains the Dolphins starting quarterback for the 2023 season, even as some fans have pushed for a change. The bigger picture around his first year in Miami is less about a quick verdict and more about the circumstances he has been asked to navigate, from a weak supporting cast to the general uncertainty that comes with a team still trying to sort out its long-term direction.
Miamis front office is clearly treating Willis as a possible answer beyond this season, but that does not mean the evaluation is finished or simple. With injuries and roster questions hanging over the offense, the Dolphins are left weighing what they have seen against what they still need to see, all while knowing the next turn could come through the draft, free agency, or a different answer altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Have One Midseason Rebuild Debate Fans Wont Agree On
The first half of Miamis 2026 season has turned into a useful snapshot of a rebuild in motion, with a roster full of rookies and younger players beginning to define the teams identity. Caleb Douglas, Jacob Rodriguez, Ollie Gordon II, Jordyn Brooks and Malik Washington have all done enough to stand out in different ways, giving the Dolphins a mix of encouraging early returns and a few reminders that this is still a work in progress.
What makes the midseason conversation tricky is that the biggest debate around this group is less about who has contributed and more about how to weigh those contributions against the long-term plan. Some of the best signs have come from players who are still learning on the fly, while the honorable mentions show how many different young pieces are trying to carve out roles at once, which is exactly why this rebuild feels both promising and unfinished. [Read more 🡒]