The Jets have given themselves a real reason to feel better about where this thing is headed.
After opening the preseason with a 24-16 home loss to Tampa Bay, Aaron Glenn’s group answered with a 17-0 shutout of Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. That swing mattered.
Suddenly, every rep in the final preseason game against the Giants carries more weight, because the roster math is getting tighter and the competition is getting sharper. New York is 1-1, and the next step is figuring out which 53 players can actually carry this team when the games start counting.
Geno Smith has already shown the offense can function cleanly under Frank Reich. In his preseason debut, he completed all seven of his passes on a touchdown drive and looked comfortable running the system with pace and control. On the other side, the defense made its presence felt with four sacks and two takeaways against Pittsburgh, the kind of disruptive outing Glenn wants to build around.
Here’s how the Jets’ projected 53-man roster shapes up.
At quarterback, Smith is the clear No. 1, with Cade Klubnik holding the backup role. Smith’s experience and accuracy make him the stabilizing force, while Klubnik offers a developmental option with mobility. There isn’t room for a third quarterback.
The running back room is crowded, but each piece has a job. Breece Hall remains the centerpiece because of his big-play ability. Braelon Allen adds power, Isaiah Davis brings another runner into the mix, Kene Nwangwu matters for special teams, and Andrew Beck’s fullback flexibility gives the Jets another tool in short-yardage situations.
At receiver, Garrett Wilson stands at the top of the pecking order. Adonai Mitchell brings size and vertical juice, Omar Cooper Jr and Arian Smith add explosiveness, Tim Patrick offers veteran steadiness and contested-catch value, and Isaiah Williams gives the offense alignment versatility.
The tight end group projects as Mason Taylor, Kenyon Sadiq, and Jelani Woods. Taylor looks like a key receiving piece, Sadiq adds athleticism and vertical threat potential, and Woods gives the Jets a massive red-zone target.
Up front, the offensive line projection features Olu Fashanu, Dylan Parham, Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann, Armand Membou, Max Mitchell, Chukwuma Okorafor, Xavier Newman, and Anez Cooper. Fashanu anchors the left side, Membou handles right tackle, and Myers brings veteran stability at center. Parham and Tippmann round out the starting picture, while Mitchell, Okorafor, and Newman give the group valuable flexibility if injuries hit.
The defensive line leans on size and power with T’Vondre Sweat, Harrison Phillips, David Onyemata, Jowon Briggs, and Darrell Jackson Jr. Sweat and Phillips are the big bodies inside, Onyemata adds experience and interior pressure, and Briggs plus Jackson supply rotation depth.
On the edge, David Bailey, Will McDonald IV, Joseph Ossai, Kingsley Enagbare, and Nate Lynn make up the projected group. McDonald is the explosive rusher who can tilt a game, while Bailey and Ossai help create pressure packages. Enagbare brings experience and versatility, and Lynn fills out the rotation.
Linebacker projects as Demario Davis, Jamien Sherwood, Francisco “Kiko” Mauigoa, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball. Davis brings the veteran voice and football IQ, Sherwood adds range and athleticism, and Mauigoa with McCrary-Ball offer younger depth.
The cornerback room includes Brandon Stephens, Nahshon Wright, Jarvis Brownlee Jr, Azareye'h Thomas, D'Angelo Ponds, and Qwan'tez Stiggers. Stephens gives the group experience on the outside, Wright adds length, Brownlee and Thomas bring physicality, and Ponds and Stiggers provide developmental upside.
At safety, the projection is Minkah Fitzpatrick, Andre Cisco, Dane Belton, Malachi Moore, and Samuel Womack III. Fitzpatrick gives Glenn the freedom to move him around, Cisco adds playmaking, and Belton, Moore, and Womack contribute rotational and special-teams value.
Special teams stay steady with Jason Sanders at kicker, Austin McNamara at punter and holder, and Thomas Hennessy at long snapper.
What stands out about this projected roster is how much of the identity runs through a few clear pillars. Smith and Hall give the offense recognizable anchors.
Wilson gives Reich a legitimate focal point in the passing game. Fitzpatrick, Davis, and the front seven pieces give Glenn the ingredients for a defense built on speed, physicality, and disruption.
The last question is the same one that always hangs over August: can the promise show up when it matters? The Jets have flashed enough to make this roster worth watching closely. Now they have one more preseason game to sort the real pieces from the summer noise.
In Other News...
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Justin Fields is already creating a familiar kind of buzz in Kansas City, and not necessarily the kind that settles a quarterback battle. After the Jets moved on from him, Fields has had moments in Chiefs camp and the preseason that hint at why teams keep betting on his talent, but the inconsistency has shown up too often to ignore. Even the good stretches have come with reminders that the basics still matter, especially when the rush gets close and the offense needs a steady hand.
Against the Buccaneers, one snap stood out in particular when Fields took a significant sack and the drive lost meaningful ground. For Jets fans, it is the sort of play that looks awfully familiar, because it puts his pocket presence under the microscope again just as he tries to separate himself from rookie Garrett Nussmeier in the Chiefs backup quarterback competition. The raw ability is still there, but the margin for error is getting smaller by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Have A Backfield Gamble Worth Watching
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Trey Benson, a 2024 third-round pick, was waived by the Cardinals with an injury designation after a rookie year in Arizona that never really got on track because of health issues and limited playing time. If he gets through the medical side cleanly, the Jets are reportedly interested in giving him a look, which would turn a roster need into a worthwhile gamble worth tracking as they try to stabilize the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Roster Races Are Nearing Decisions That Could Change More Than Depth
With the final preseason game looming, the Jets are getting close to the kind of roster calls that can shape not just the back end of the depth chart, but the way the whole team feels going into the season. A few of the biggest positional races have started to firm up, with Cade Klubnik emerging as the leading candidate for the backup quarterback job, Omar Cooper Jr. looking like the favorite to settle into the WR3 role, and Kiko Mauigoa moving to the front of the line at linebacker after injuries and recent performance helped sort out the field.
Even so, there is still some room for the picture to change, especially at quarterback, where the Jets could continue to weigh veteran options before everything is locked in. That kind of late flexibility is part insurance, part competition, and it leaves the roster in an interesting place heading into the last exhibition tune-up, with a few jobs looking close to decided and a few more still quietly open. [Read more 🡒]