Three familiar faces from the Rex Ryan Jets are back around the team in Florham Park.
Bart Scott, Eric Smith and Tony Richardson were all on hand for Saturday’s padded practice, according to Jets X-Factor’s Robby Sabo. The timing lines up with the Jets’ push to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, and these three were part of that AFC championship run.
Scott and Richardson each appeared in 16 games for that 2010 team, while Smith played in 13. Scott finished with 81 tackles, Smith had 54, and Richardson chipped in 44 yards from scrimmage while doing most of his work as a blocker.
The veterans may have brought a little spark with them, too. Sabo noted that Geno Smith hit Isaiah Williams on a touchdown of more than 50 yards during practice.
Jets teams: -Geno finds I-Williams for 50-plus TD. Bailey took a wide path, outside of Olu, would have to reach for the QB, and from this angle, it’s tough to know if he would have been close enough, or Geno would have stepped up with ease. Close one, tough one to call play…
- Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) August 8, 2026
There’s a reason the Jets are hoping some of that old energy rubs off on the current roster. Scott arrived in New York in 2009 as a veteran linebacker in his eighth NFL season, after seven years in Baltimore. Demario Davis is now the closest thing to that kind of presence, entering his 15th year, and the Jets are counting on his leadership and edge to have the same kind of effect Scott had.
Smith came to the Jets as a late third-round pick in 2006 and spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the team. New York is hoping for a similar kind of homegrown payoff from 2025 fourth-round pick Malachi Moore, who is battling to start next to veteran Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Richardson’s role also has a modern parallel in Andrew Beck, who spent three seasons with the Jets and is looking to make the same sort of imprint. In 2025, Beck played 110 offensive snaps over 17 games, gave the offense steady blocking, scored two receiving touchdowns and stood out on special teams.
And it hasn’t just been the Rex-era group stopping by. Wayne Chrebet, Laveranues Coles, Damien Woody and Victor Green have also been around Florham Park during the opening stretch of camp.
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