The Jets keep piling up losses, and Aaron Glenn keeps trying to frame the wreckage in a way that sounds manageable. That’s the backdrop for a week that brought a little bit of everything: injury updates, roster movement, a defensive role worth watching, and even a quarterback debate that could matter down the line.
Glenn leaned on the numbers when asked about the team’s seven losses, saying, “When you look at the seven losses, and this is just the facts -- five of the teams (are) playoff-calibre teams. I think five of them were one-score games.
I think two (of the losses were) three points, one five-point and two seven points.” It’s the kind of explanation that tries to soften the edge, though close losses only tell part of the story.
There was also a notable update on Garrett Wilson, who returned to practice on a limited basis. The hope is that he’ll be ready to go this weekend.
On the transaction front, the Jets’ compensation in the Andre Cisco trade has been adjusted. Instead of a 2028 pick, they’ll now receive a 2029 sixth-round selection from the Lions.
One player Glenn singled out for a bigger workload is Will McDonald. The coach said McDonald has done enough to earn more snaps this season and added, “Obviously, there’s some things that he needs to improve on -- I think he’s done an outstanding job of doing that -- so I think we all can look forward to seeing his play time improve because of what he’s done,” Glenn said. “He’s earned the right to be able to do that.”
McDonald made it clear he’s focused on one thing: getting on the field. “I just want to clear everything up,” McDonald said Wednesday.
“There’s no hard feelings with the coaches and staff or anybody here. I just want to play, and I just want to help the team win.”
He doubled down on that point when asked about the noise around his role. “Every player wants to get on the field, help the team win, so it’s not rocket science,” McDonald said. “I don’t want to make it a big deal as much as the media is making it, because ultimately the goal is to win and help the team.”
Glenn also said of McDonald, “His pass rush is second to none.”
Away from the Jets’ own building, Rex Ryan is facing six misdemeanor charges after allegedly running over two people’s feet with his pick-up on a busy Nashville street and then leaving the scene. According to the report, he was later confronted at a red light, stepped out of the truck, argued, and then drove off. Warrants were issued, and Ryan later handed himself in.
Then there’s the quarterback conversation that could eventually circle back to the Jets. Drew Mestemaker is widely believed to be the top quarterback in the 2027 class, even though he didn’t play the position in high school. He was mostly a punter and safety at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas.
Once he got to North Texas, coaches saw a player with a cannon and moved him to quarterback full-time. He threw 34 touchdowns in 2025, then transferred to Oklahoma State, where he’s now in the middle of a breakout season on the national stage.
If the draft were held today, the Jets would own the fourth overall pick thanks to the Colts. The three teams ahead of them could all go in different directions because of their current situations. The Chargers have Herbert, the Titans have Ward and the Dolphins gave nearly $70 million last season to Malik Willis.
If Mestemaker truly becomes a can’t-miss quarterback, the Titans and Dolphins would be in the mix, and maybe even the Chargers depending on 2026. But while he’s being talked about as the No.
1 QB, the buzz stops short of calling him a generational prospect. Still, that kind of label didn’t follow Josh Allen either.
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Hooker is no stranger to this matchup, either. He faced the Jets back in Week 1 while still with Tennessee, and he arrives in Buffalo tied for the league lead in interceptions, which gives the Bills another ballhawk to pair with a defense that has been difficult to navigate. For a Jets offense already trying to find clean answers in the passing game, the addition raises the stakes even more when these teams meet again. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Decision On Will McDonald Raises An Awkward Question
The Jets lone deadline move was a modest one, shipping Andre Cisco to the Lions for a 2029 sixth-round pick, but the bigger decision came from what they did not do. Even with some interest in pass rusher Will McDonald, New York held onto the former first-rounder, a choice that keeps one of the rosters more intriguing defensive questions alive as the season moves on.
McDonald had asked for a trade after seeing his role shrink, yet Aaron Glenn publicly backed him, pointing to his pass-rush ability and the case for a larger workload. The Jets are still folding him into their defensive plans, even as his production has been uneven and the team continues to search for answers in both the pass rush and the run defense. [Read more 🡒]