New York Jets training camp is almost here, and that means the first wave of summer buzz is right around the corner. Before the real games arrive, the headlines will come from practice reps, clips, and all the usual overreactions that follow.
Three players look best positioned to dominate that conversation.
Adonai Mitchell feels like the kind of receiver who can light up a practice setting. The Jets are bringing him in after the Indianapolis Colts used a second-round pick on him in the 2024 draft, banking on his 4.34 speed and his ability to separate vertically. The production has not caught up yet, but the underlying signs are there.
ESPN Analytics gave Mitchell the seventh-best “open score” among wide receivers over the last two seasons, with an 80. That number is based on player-tracking data and is meant to measure separation ability. The film backs it up, with plenty of examples of Mitchell getting open even when the ball never comes his way or the throw misses him.
That’s why he looks set up to make noise in Florham Park. Geno Smith gives him a veteran quarterback who should be efficient from a clean pocket, and training camp will put Smith in exactly that kind of environment. With Smith in a red jersey and not dealing with live pressure, Mitchell could end up looking like the obvious deep threat outside of Garrett Wilson.
The two were already making noise on social media during OTAs after connecting on a deep touchdown. The “Summer of AD” may be upon us.
Azareye’h Thomas is another player who should draw plenty of attention once camp opens. The Jets landed the Florida State corner in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft at No. 70, even though he had been viewed much higher by a lot of evaluators.
NFL Mock Draft Database had him as the consensus No. 52 overall prospect, and as recently as March 4, 2025, he was sitting at No. 40.
He also drew first-round talk before a disappointing 4.58 at Florida State’s pro day.
Thomas showed why the Jets were excited about him as a rookie. He began the year as a backup, then got thrown into a bigger role around mid-season because of injuries and the Sauce Gardner trade. Once he was on the field, he put together six straight games with at least one pass defense, tying Darrelle Revis for the second-longest streak by a rookie in Jets history behind only Gardner’s seven.
That run ended only because Thomas suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery. Before that, he was trending up. There were rough patches, which is no surprise for a 21-year-old, but his Week 8 battle with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins showed the kind of ceiling the Jets think he has.
Now entering his age-22 season with five starts already on his resume, Thomas has more competition coming for snaps. The additions of Nahshon Wright and D’Angelo Ponds mean nothing is being handed to him, and that should keep him pushing all summer. Training camp should give a clearer look at where he is headed in 2026.
David Bailey is the other name that should jump off the practice field. The second-overall pick is in a perfect spot to make people stop and stare in camp, where the pace and setting can make his best traits pop. When the pads are off, or even when they’re on but the intensity is still below game level, his explosiveness off the line should stand out immediately.
Bailey’s speed and burst should lead to plenty of reps where he blows past Jets tackles and tight ends. That won’t answer every question about him, especially against the run, which is something that will be tested more seriously in the preseason when he faces real opponents and real game plans. But in practice, the highs should be loud.
He has the kind of tools that make him impossible to ignore: violence, aggressive hands, a versatile pass-rush package, and a motor that fits an NFL-ready edge rusher. Training camp is built for a player like that to flash his ceiling.
And Bailey won’t be getting easy work. Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou are first-round talents themselves, so any strong reps he puts together will mean something.
He may not prove he’s a future superstar in July and August, but he can absolutely give Jets fans a glimpse of why the team shocked people by taking him at No. 2.
In Other News...
Jets Backup QB Battle Just Became A High-Stakes Two-Man Race
The Jets search for a reliable backup quarterback has settled into a tighter, more familiar kind of competition, with veteran Bailey Zappe and rookie Cade Klubnik now the names to watch for the QB2 job. New York had explored other options along the way, but the market thinned out and left the team weighing Zappes NFL experience against the upside Klubnik flashed before his spring work was slowed.
Klubnik still has the kind of arm talent and ceiling that can make a staff pause, but his availability was not complete during OTAs and minicamp because of a minor back injury. Zappe, meanwhile, offers the steadier profile of a player who has already been through the league grind, and that contrast is what makes this battle worth following as the Jets sort out who would be next in line if the position is needed. [Read more 🡒]
Geno Smith Just Entered A Defining Chapter Raiders Fans Know Well
The Jets are turning to a familiar face at quarterback, acquiring Geno Smith from the Raiders for the 2026 season and handing the 35-year-old the chance to lead the offense again. Smiths path has been anything but linear since his early years in New York, and his strong run with Seattle helped restore his standing around the league before his move to Las Vegas.
Now he arrives back in a place that knows his story well, but under very different circumstances. After a difficult 2025 season with the Raiders, Smith enters 2026 with plenty at stake, and the Jets are betting he can steady the position and show he still belongs as a starter in the NFL. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Are Already Asking How Real David Bailey Can Be
The Jets used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey, a move that immediately put him at the center of their defensive makeover. He is expected to step in opposite Will McDonald IV and give New York a much-needed edge presence, with the front office also adding Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency to deepen a pass rush that suddenly looks far more dangerous than it did a year ago.
Baileys college production is part of why the excitement has come so quickly, and the early conversation around him is less about whether he can help than how fast he can become a difference-maker. For the Jets, a strong rookie season would already change the tone around the defense, but the bigger question is whether Baileys ceiling is high enough to make New Yorks investment look even smarter before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]