Frank Reich gave the Jets something in Week 1 that’s easy to overlook when an offense is humming: proof that he can still call a game with real sharpness.
New York spent much of its opener in control because the offense kept moving, and while Geno Smith did his part, Reich was the one stitching it together. For a coach who arrived with plenty of questions hanging over him, that mattered.
Those doubts were real. Reich is 64, he spent two years out of the NFL, and both of his previous stops ended with in-season firings. So when the Jets hired him in January, the natural reaction was to wonder how well his offense would translate in 2026.
Week 1 offered a strong answer.
According to analyst Steven Patton, Reich posted the third-most efficient play-calling tendencies in the league, behind only Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Patton’s rankings are built on “personnel diversification, play sequencing, and other tendencies.”
Reich finished just ahead of Las Vegas Raiders head coach and Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and two spots ahead of Andy Reid.
The broader idea behind the metric is simple enough: it measures the kind of decision-making and sequencing that tends to line up with offensive EPA, or Expected Points Added. And on Sunday, Reich’s fingerprints were all over a productive Jets offense.
The run-pass balance stood out right away. New York ended the game with 39 rushing attempts and only 24 passes.
That wasn’t just a box-score quirk, either. During a 19-play second-quarter march that chewed nearly 12 minutes off the clock, 15 of the plays were designed runs.
Just as notable was the way Reich leaned into heavy personnel. That’s a real shift from how he has traditionally operated. In Week 1, the Jets ranked 12th in 12 personnel, which uses one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers, and fifth in 13 personnel, which features one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver.
Historically, Reich has favored 11 personnel and stayed away from those heavier looks. Not this time.
That change fits where the league is headed, too. Sean McVay and the Rams led the NFL in 13 personnel usage in 2025, and 12 personnel has been climbing across the league as well.
The Jets’ roster construction hinted this was coming. Carrying four tight ends - Mason Taylor, Kenyon Sadiq, Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods - plus Andrew Beck, a fullback who converted from tight end, doesn’t make much sense unless the plan is to use them. In Week 1, the Jets did exactly that, and at one point had all five on the field together.
They even ran a play out of 05 personnel, a rare setup in the NFL that includes zero running backs, wide receivers or fullbacks and five tight ends, with Beck counted as a tight end in that look.
The questions around Reich aren’t gone. Teams will get more film, and the real test will be how he adjusts once opponents start probing for answers. But for one Sunday, at least, he looked right at home.
In Other News...
Robert Saleh Is Bringing Back A Jets Debate In Tennessee
Robert Salehs return to the sideline in Tennessee brought an old Jets conversation back with him, this time in a different uniform and against his former team. His first game as Titans coach ended in a 23-10 loss to New York, but the more familiar part for Jets followers came before and during the game, when Titans players were seen wearing 60% T-shirts, a nod to the mantra Saleh once used in New York to push players to bring more energy and urgency.
The game itself only sharpened the sense that the same debates travel with a coach as much as the results do. Salehs decision-making drew attention, including a punt on fourth-and-9 while Tennessee was trailing, a choice that fit into a broader conversation about how aggressive he wants to be in key moments. For Jets fans, it was a reminder that even after Saleh moved on, some of the old arguments about his style are still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Got An Unexpected Week 1 Boost Up Front
David Onyemata gave the Jets a useful spark up front in Week 1, and it came from a place the team probably did not have pegged as a major source of pressure. The veteran defensive tackle finished with three total pressures, leading New Yorks interior defensive line and showing a pass-rush presence that stood out on a unit still sorting out its rotation.
For Onyemata, the takeaway was less about volume than role. He was brought in largely as a run defender, but his pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus was strong enough to place him near the top of the position group, and it came while Jowon Briggs logged only limited snaps. If the Jets are going to squeeze more disruption out of the middle as the season settles in, Onyematas early work gives them at least one encouraging piece to build on. [Read more 🡒]
Frank Reich Set A Tone The Jets Offense Has Been Missing
After the Jets put together a dominant offensive showing against the Titans, offensive coordinator Frank Reich struck the kind of measured, accountable tone that can matter as much as any play call. He acknowledged what went well, but he also pointed out the areas that still need work, which is a different kind of postgame message than the Jets have often heard in recent years.
Reichs approach seems aimed at something bigger than one strong outing. His emphasis on honesty and steady improvement lines up with what quarterback Geno Smith echoed afterward, and it gives the offense a chance to build around responsibility rather than empty praise. For a unit trying to establish a new identity, that kind of leadership may end up being the real takeaway. [Read more 🡒]