The Jets made it through the trade deadline without making the kind of move that would signal a reset. Outside of the minor deal that sent Andre Cisco to the Lions, they stood pat while other teams around the league shuffled pieces all over the place.
That was the point, according to the reporting around the deadline: Aaron Glenn is being given every chance to steady the season and prove he’s the right coach to keep leading this team. Moving off immediate help for future assets would not have fit that plan.
Will McDonald was the one Jet who reportedly asked for a trade, and he’s staying put. There’s still a belief inside the organization that he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, but the request, Glenn’s limited use of him, and the fact the Jets reportedly had a second-round pick offer make the decision to hold onto him a little surprising.
Whether that was about keeping him around for evaluation by a future head coach is anyone’s guess.
The deadline itself brought some notable movement elsewhere. The 49ers got their receiver in Keenan Allen.
The Bills addressed safety by sending a second-round pick to Tennessee for Amani Hooker. The Vikings landed their quarterback by sending a third-round pick to the Raiders for Kirk Cousins, which means he can beat the Jets again this season when Minnesota comes to town.
There was also a Jets angle to the Colts’ deadline activity. The Jets would have been happy to see Indianapolis move both Keenan Allen and Josh Downs, with Downs going to Kansas City. Anything that weakens the Colts only helps the Jets’ chances of landing a top-five pick in next year’s draft from Indianapolis.
On the injury front, the Dolphins placed QB Malik Willis on IR with a groin injury, which means he’ll miss the game against the Jets in Florida. Kyle McCord is set to start, so if the Jets lose that one just fire the whole team.
NFL.com also identified center as a major need for the Jets if they want to keep Joe Tippmann at guard. The site laid it out plainly: “If the Jets want to keep Joe Tippmann at guard, they should look to draft a center who can compete for playing time as a rookie and eventually take over the starting job. The current starter at center, Josh Myers, has one year remaining on his deal, with no guaranteed money in 2027.”
There was also a Jets website note on edge rusher Bailey, whose start has been historic by the numbers: “Bailey's 7.5 sacks are also tied for the fifth most by an NFL player in his first 8 career games since the stat became official in 1982, enabling him to join a top five that features Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White and Julius Peppers, according to Elias Sports Bureau. And Bailey's 7.5 through 8 career games are the most by any player in more than two decades.”
Rex Ryan also had a story to tell about the 2010 playoff win over the Patriots in Foxfoxborough during an appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys.
And then there’s the bigger picture with Glenn. All signs point to him not being fired during the season.
He’s expected to get every chance to turn things around, which means he has eight games to save his job. He may say he doesn’t think about job security, but that doesn’t sound very convincing.
Glenn admitted on Monday that “we have not played really good defense the last couple of weeks” and that may be putting it mildly. At one point early in the year, the Jets had a top-five defense. That now looks more like a false dawn than a foundation.
The numbers tell the story. Through nine games, the Jets are allowing 24.8 points per game, which ranks 20th.
Over the last three, that number jumps to 33.7, which ranks 30th. They’ve allowed touchdowns on 66.67% of red-zone trips this season, ranking 22nd, and on 100% of red-zone trips over the last three, which ranks 32nd.
Those are the numbers that matter most. In the end, games are decided by who scores more points, and right now the Jets’ defense isn’t doing enough to keep that from becoming a problem.
It’s also fair to note that those last three opponents were the Dolphins, Raiders and Chiefs, and only one of those offenses is one I’d call elite.
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