The Jets’ offense has been turned over piece by piece this offseason, and the ripple effect shows up in an unexpected place: ESPN’s skill group rankings.
Bill Barnwell has New York up to No. 12, a huge jump from No. 27 a year ago, and he tied that rise to four moves that changed the look of the Jets’ wide receivers, tight ends and running backs.
"12. New York Jets. 2025 rank: 27 | 2024 rank: 12," Barnwell writes. "Imagine how excited you would be if this group played with Josh Allen in Buffalo, and you start to get an idea of why the Jets rank higher than expected here."
Garrett Wilson remains the centerpiece, and Barnwell’s point is that he’s no longer carrying the group with a pile of uncertainty around him. Wilson is still a strong No. 1 option, but the Jets finally gave him more legitimate help.
One of the biggest swings came in the trade with the Indianapolis Colts last season, when the Jets sent Sauce Gardner to the AFC South for two first-round picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell. Mitchell brings playmaking juice and gives Wilson a cleaner running mate than the team had before.
Then came another major addition in the draft: Omar Cooper Jr. The first-round pick gives the Jets another new piece in the receiver room, and those two moves alone changed the way the group looks heading into 2026.
Tight end got a similar overhaul. Using one of the first-rounders acquired from the Colts, the Jets took Kenyon Sadiq, the top tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
He joins Mason Taylor, who was already a solid option, and now New York may have the best young tight end duo in the league. With more teams leaning on 12 personnel, both players should be on the field often in 2026.
The Jets also made a major decision by not moving Breece Hall. There was trade interest at last year’s deadline, and the team could have dealt him again this offseason, but instead they extended him and kept one of the league’s best running backs in New York for the next few seasons.
Taken together, the Cooper and Sadiq picks, the Mitchell trade and Hall’s extension gave the Jets a skill group that looks far different than it did a year ago. That’s the foundation behind Barnwell’s spike in the rankings, and it puts New York in a much better place offensively entering 2026.
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