The Jets’ 2-6 start has made the present feel pretty bleak, but the bigger picture isn’t nearly as hopeless as the record suggests.
Yes, the season has gone sideways fast. The coaching situation is shaky, the staff hasn’t gotten enough out of its top players, and a difficult stretch ahead only makes New York’s already slim turnaround hopes look thinner. But the roster still has real appeal, especially on offense, and that matters when the next coaching search begins.
That offensive talent could make the Jets a tempting landing spot for top candidates in the upcoming hiring cycle. Add in three first-round picks in a draft class that has been billed as one of the best in recent memory, and there’s still plenty to sell.
It’s not easy to find optimism around a team that saw MetLife Stadium filled to half capacity with Las Vegas Raiders fans this past Sunday. Still, the idea here is that the long view looks better than the short one.
General manager Darren Mougey is likely to remain in place no matter what happens with Glenn, and he would probably be the one leading the search for the next head coach. That search could be helped by the combination of roster talent and draft capital the Jets have on hand.
The offensive side already gives the next coach something to work with, and the chance to bring in a rookie quarterback only adds to the appeal. The defense is the area that needs the most attention, though, because New York lacks playmakers there. The clearest path to fixing that, based on the current setup, is using the other two first-round picks on defense.
The bottom line is that the Jets are not as far from competing as their record makes them look. The roster has enough talent to hover around .500. What’s missing is the coaching to push them over the top.
In Other News...
Rex Ryan Is Suddenly Back In The Middle Of NFL Drama
Rex Ryan found himself back in the NFL conversation this week after a rough Cowboys loss to the Arizona Cardinals sparked fresh criticism of Jerry Jones and the state of Dallas coaching staff. Stephen A. Smith led the charge, arguing Jones missed an opportunity by not bringing Ryan in to run the defense, while former Cowboy Michael Irvin and analyst Dan Orlovsky also voiced concern about how the team is being coached and how it is playing.
For Jets fans, it is a familiar name suddenly attached to a very public football debate again, the kind that tends to follow Ryan whenever a defense is under the microscope. Jones, for his part, has signaled he is not looking to make a change in the middle of the season, which leaves the noise around Dallas in place for now and keeps Ryans name in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Loss Turns Into Another Ugly Accountability Problem
The Jets loss to the Raiders in Week 8 only added to the sense that the problems in Florham Park are bigger than one bad afternoon. The offense showed some improvement, but the defense did not hold up its end, and the result left New York at 2-6 with the same old questions hanging over a team that keeps finding new ways to make life harder on itself.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was among the defenders who drew attention afterward, and his postgame comments only sharpened the conversation around accountability. The teams PR staff even stepped in with a lighthearted attempt to clarify the remark, a small footnote in a bigger issue that has followed the Jets all season: when things go wrong, the explanations can be almost as messy as the play on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Have A Growing Kenyon Sadiq Concern To Figure Out
Kenyon Sadiqs early burst has given way to a quieter stretch, and that has become a growing talking point for a Jets offense still trying to find reliable answers. The rookie tight end flashed in late September, but since then his production has tapered off, leaving the team with fewer easy completions and less of the middle-of-the-field presence it hoped to uncover from him.
What makes the slump more notable is that the usage has not disappeared. Sadiq has still been on the field more often and has continued to draw looks, but the impact has not matched the opportunity, especially as the Jets sort through a broader offensive picture and compare his development with what other rookies are providing. For a team looking for any steady source of momentum, his next step feels like one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]