The Jets’ path to the top of the draft board just got a little messier.
New York made only one move at the 2026 trade deadline, but the bigger story for Jets fans is happening elsewhere in the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts, a team directly tied to the Jets because of last year’s Sauce Gardner trade, unloaded four starters for six draft picks in a full-scale teardown. Among the players shipped out were Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, both team captains and arguably the Colts’ two best players.
That kind of sell-off has Colts fans thinking about the future. Jets fans are thinking about the draft.
The reason is simple: Indianapolis’ 2027 first-round pick belongs to New York. With the Colts now sitting at 2-7 and clearly leaning into the tank, that pick has become a major storyline for the Jets’ future.
But the latest quarterback news out of Miami could complicate that picture.
According to the team, the Dolphins have placed starting quarterback Malik Willis on injured reserve with a groin injury. Miami announced the move along with the waiver of cornerback Reese Taylor and the placement of defensive lineman Zach Sieler on injured reserve.
Willis’ injury pushes Syracuse product Kyle McCord into the starting role. McCord, a 2025 sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, is set to make his NFL debut.
That matters because Miami’s next opponent is Indianapolis.
In Week 10, the 1-7 Dolphins, who currently hold the No. 3 draft slot, travel to face the 2-7 Colts, who sit at No. 4.
On paper, it’s exactly the kind of game Jets fans have been watching closely as New York tries to position itself near the top of the draft. But with the Colts at home and McCord making his first NFL start, Indianapolis has a real chance to win.
The Colts are currently listed as 2.5-point favorites.
The Jets, meanwhile, are set to host the Buffalo Bills, with Buffalo installed as an 8.5-point road favorite. So while New York has its own game to worry about, plenty of Jets fans will be locked in on Dolphins-Colts - a matchup that could shape how the draft order looks, and whether the Jets have one path to the top or two.
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For a team trying to find any kind of stability, the concern is not just the production on the field but the sense that both sides may already be thinking beyond the present. Smith and Reich are each being judged on what happens now, yet the bigger question hanging over the Jets is whether either one is fully invested in fixing this partnership before the season slips further away. [Read more 🡒]
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Jets Hold A Draft Debate That Could Define Darren Mougey
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The names in the discussion tell the story of where the franchise wants to go, with defensive prospects Leonard Moore, Chris Cole, Clev Lubin and Tavion Gadson all drawing attention as possible foundation pieces. The bigger question is how aggressively the Jets will chase a new franchise passer, and whether the front office sees enough in the current college crop to make that the defining move of the class. [Read more 🡒]