The Jets are sitting at 2-7, but there’s one part of the roster that looks nothing like a lost season.
New York’s skill players are separating at a rate nobody else in the league can match. Through Week 9, the Jets own a combined route win rate of 20.8%, according to Fantasy Points Data. That’s the best mark in the NFL, and it isn’t close: the Bengals are second at 15.1%, while the gap between Cincinnati and 23rd-ranked Denver at 9.7% is smaller than the one between the Bengals and New York.
That kind of edge starts with the Jets’ young wideout trio of Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Omar Cooper Jr. Wilson is 26, Mitchell is 24, and Cooper is 22, and all three have been driving the numbers that make this receiving group stand out.
Wilson, Cooper, and Mitchell rank first, second, and third in Fantasy Points Data’s “average separation score.” Wilson sits at 0.227, Cooper at 0.210, and Mitchell at 0.200. After them, the list drops to Zay Flowers at 0.179 and Josh Downs at 0.164.
The age profile only makes it more encouraging for New York. The trio’s average age is 24, and all three are under contract for the 2027 season, with Cooper and Wilson under team control through 2030.
That matters because separation is one of the cleanest ways to judge receiver play. Box-score numbers can swing wildly from week to week, especially when they depend on big plays or target volume.
But separation tracks the job a receiver has to do on every route, whether the ball comes his way or not. It gives a steadier read on who is actually winning their reps.
And right now, the Jets are winning those reps better than anyone.
That makes their 25th-ranked scoring offense even more puzzling, but it also explains why the long view looks different than the record. The talent is there at receiver, and it’s young enough to matter for years.
With a highly drafted young quarterback likely to enter the building in 2027, this is the kind of foundation the Jets want in place. If the separation numbers are any indication, the passing-game infrastructure is already taking shape.
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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 🡒]