The Jets’ housecleaning has created a strange little scoreboard through three weeks of the 2026 season: some former New Yorkers are popping in new uniforms, while others are still searching for any sign of traction. The result is a mixed bag, with a few names reminding people what they can do and a few others making the split look even harsher.
Aaron Rodgers was one of the few bright spots. After opening the year with two games that were, in the source’s words, “borderline Cooper Rush-level unwatchable,” he finally looked more like himself in Pittsburgh’s Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns against an improved Bengals defense, and the Steelers moved to 2-1 in what he has all but confirmed will be his final NFL season.
Not every ex-Jet is enjoying that kind of bounce. Robert Saleh’s start in Tennessee has gone sideways fast, with the Titans sitting at 0-3 and two of those losses coming on bungled execution late in the fourth quarter.
Cam Ward has given Tennessee rough quarterback play, but the burden is still on Saleh and his staff to fix it. Mixing together pieces of the Saleh-era Jets and Brian Daboll-era Giants has not exactly produced a winning formula.
Jermaine Johnson, another former Jet in Tennessee, is having an even tougher time finding his footing. Saleh brought him in as the notable piece in the deal that sent T'Vondre Sweat to New York, but Johnson has yet to resemble the player who flashed Pro Bowl form in his second season with the Jets.
He has only eight tackles, no quarterback takedowns, no quarterback hits, and a 45.5 Pro Football Focus pass rush grade that ranks as the worst among edge rushers in the league. That’s a brutal place for a player who had three sacks last season and none in 2024 before his injury.
There have been some better signs elsewhere. Quincy Williams drew criticism for his Browns debut, but he has since settled in as Cleveland has won two straight. In the Browns’ Week 3 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Williams finished with nine tackles and a quarterback hit on a blitz.
Quinnen Williams, meanwhile, has been off to an unusually slow start in Dallas. The Cowboys’ defense has been bad, and Williams’ 48.1 PFF grade ranks 98th out of 126 qualified players at the position. His track record says a turnaround is coming, but Dallas needs it quickly.
Sauce Gardner got a win of his own in Indianapolis, helping the Colts beat the Houston Texans in Week 3. It was his first victory in almost two years on American soil, and the Colts are still not a dominant defense, but Gardner is delivering the same package he always does: elite coverage, with tackling that remains a question mark.
Then there’s Micheal Clemons, whose Colts stint has already turned sour. Indianapolis gave him a three-year contract, but he had no tackles through two games and is now headed for an IR stint. For Colts fans, that’s the kind of move that can leave some immediate buyer’s remorse.
In Other News...
Jets Enter Bears Game With Aaron Glenn Facing A Major Problem
Aaron Glenns first few weeks on the job have already featured the kind of injury churn that can test a new coaching staff, and the Week 4 trip to face the Chicago Bears brings another round of roster uncertainty. The Jets ruled out wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, running back Breece Hall, guard Dylan Parham, tight end Mason Taylor and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, trimming depth on both sides of the ball as they try to keep the season moving in the right direction.
Hall and Parham were already expected to miss after the previous game, but Mitchell and Taylor had been in limbo for much of the week, leaving Glenn to sort through a lineup that keeps shifting late in the process. Edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare is also dealing with a knee injury and remains limited in practice, adding another question mark to a defense that can least afford to be thin going into a matchup with the Bears. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans May Not Be Done Hearing About Tom Brady Yet
Tom Bradys name keeps finding its way back into the conversation, even after his retirement following the 2022 season. In a recent interview, Lars Anderson, author of a Brady biography, suggested the seven-time Super Bowl winner may look back on the way his career ended and feel some regret, raising the kind of speculation that never really dies when Brady is involved.
For Jets fans, it is the sort of chatter that brings an old rival back into the frame, at least hypothetically, because any comeback discussion would immediately invite thoughts about scheduling and what it could mean for New York. Brady has not responded to the comments, and there is no real sign of a return, but the very fact the possibility is being floated is enough to keep the topic alive a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Defense Gets A Needed Boost At The Perfect Time
Minkah Fitzpatrick is set to rejoin the Jets for their Week 4 matchup with the Bears after missing time with a groin injury, giving New York a defensive presence it has been missing. He was a full participant in practice and said he is ready to go, a welcome development for a unit that has been looking for more takeaways lately.
Fitzpatricks return comes at a timely moment for a Jets defense that has had trouble creating interceptions, and his ability to track the ball could help change that. Against Chicago, the Jets will be counting on him not just to fill a spot, but to lift a secondary that needs a jolt. [Read more 🡒]