2026 New York Jets Season Preview

By Daniel Feuerstein | Florham Park, NJ | September 8th , 2026

The 2026 NFL Season is about to get underway, and the New York Jets will begin their season on the road in Week 1. We will take a look at all facets of this new team after the Jets went 3-14 last season. Where are the improvements, and where are they still lacking? While there have been some changes and new players coming over from the draft this past April, the main question will be: Is this going to be another Aaron Glenn problem, or will there be a change and the Jets can finally get to a winning season? While there are some difficult opponents on the schedule within the AFC East and the NFC North, the hope is that there will be change and that change in direction has finally come to the team.

Offense

Quarterback

Even though he only had one series in the preseason at the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it was an opening-drive touchdown, Geno Smith is back at MetLife Stadium and Gang Green to try and show he can still command an offense. While he was fantastic for the Seattle Seahawks, Smith’s last season in Las Vegas for the Raiders was horrible. While his offensive line was a complete shambles in Sin City, coming back to the Jets means he will have better protection, as this offensive line is strong with the tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. Dylan Parham and Joe Tippmann as the Guards, and Josh Myers at center, will make sure any quarterback will have the time to throw and keep him upright.

While Cade Klubnik showed some poise and promise when he had two series in the opening preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the first drive leading to a field goal, his second drive became a rushing touchdown for ten points. It is still a bit troubling that a rookie quarterback will be the backup and not bring in a veteran to truly back up Geno Smith. While Bailey Zappe is on the practice squad, the truth is someone like Andy Dalton or any other veteran who looks better should’ve been called in, and Klubnik should be the third QB on the roster. The Jets are playing with fire if they throw Klubnik out there when Geno is injured.

Running Back

Re-signing Breece Hall with a brand new contract was the best thing to happen for the Jets, as their running back room is filled with solid runners to carry the ball or throw to them when they are used in a different capacity instead of a blocking back on third down. Braelon Allen returns from the injury that sidelined him for the entire season after the Monday Night loss to the Miami Dolphins, when Glenn asked him to become a kickoff returner. While Isaiah Davis, who had a solid season last year, has been recovering from a procedure will be very important to use for different schemes. But the Running Back room is a well-oiled machine

Wide Receivers

Having Garrett Wilson back from injury is great for the Jets, as he showed his ability to leap up and reach for the ball, and chase down the throw to make sliding grabs. The leader of the wide receiver room is ready for a new season, and his connection with Geno Smith looks to be working well. Adonai Mitchell, who has had a history of mental errors, including drops at the wrong time when he was traded from the Indianapolis Colts last season, looks solid so far in the preseason. But when the regular season starts, the hope is that he will reduce the number of dropped passes.

Isaiah Williams, who will be on special teams as a punt returner, stepped up his game in training camp and the preseason and has looked fabulous making catches and plays with the ball when his number is called. Many have already penciled him in as the third wide receiver, and that means Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr., who many thought would get the third wideout spot, will now be penciled in as the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, which isn’t a bad thing. The rookie will watch and take notes, but his time will come, as he is a part of the future of the team.

Tight Ends

Mason Taylor will have another year to grow into that big offensive Tight End, and Jeremy Rucklert will be that blocking tight end if they go with a two-tight-end formation. While Kenyon Sadiq has missed all preseason and most of training camp recovering from injury, he is penciled in to start Week 1 but will be integrated slowly. The thought of him being used as a possible third or fourth Wide Receiver as a hybrid Tight End, with his big physique and downhill running, will give opposition’s defensies a problem. Jelani Woods, who was just brought in before the second preseason game against Pittsburgh, made a big splash when he made the big catch and ran for 13 yards inside the end zone for the touchdown, and will be an added boost for the Jets offense.

Defense

While the Jets were able to bring in veterans like Minkah Fitzpatrick on the secondary, and returning for the third time, the ageless wonder, Demario Davis. It feels like the Jets are bringing in two top defensive players who will enhance their ability to improve in stopping the run and knocking down the pass. But the main question is: will that be enough to help the offense to get on the field multiple times, and with three interceptions during preseason, can that translate into the regular season when it begins this weekend? That is the number one question.

David Bailey has already shown how big of a weapon he will be as an edge. He ran roughshod over his teammates at training camp; he also ran roughshod against Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Luke Goedeke at joint practice and never faced Bailey in the preseason game. Bailey earned his first sack in the second preseason game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He and Will McDonald will be the big Edge rushers to earn the sacks for the Jets. Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs will be the big guys on the defensive line to stuff the run and improve their play from last year.

The main focus once again will be turnovers. More importantly, interceptions after recording nothing for the first time in their history last season. While there were a few fumble recoveries, the Jets need to pick the ball off out of the air so they can put pressure on the opposition’s quarterback. With a veteran like Fitzpatrick, that could be accomplished, but the proof should be in the pudding if they can execute that this season. The secondary is hopefully improved and better than last season.

Special Teams

Austin McNamara will be the punting genius once again, as his game is flawless. Kene Nwangwu will once again return kickoffs, while Isaiah Williams will return punts. Both mean converted returns for touchdowns in the same game against the Cleveland Browns. But now the kicking game that many thought was solved hasn’t, and that is a huge concern when the Jets need to put three points on the scoreboard. After Jason Sanders defeated Cade York, Sanders missed an extra point and a field goal in the final preseason game against the Giants, which forced the Jets to bring in new kickers. They did claim Blake Grupe off the waiver wire from the Colts, but the Jets continued their search, bringing in other kickers.

Overall thoughts

While many fans want to see improvement and a winning season, there are still questions about Head Coach Aaron Glenn now calling defensive plays and being the head coach at the same time. While Frank Reich was brought in to become the offensive coordinator, that side of the field was fixed. But now Glenn will have double the pressure on him, and that is still a cause for concern. When he began last season, assuming he knew what he was doing, it got him in trouble and led to multiple issues with decision-making that put the team into an 0 and 7 start. Has he learned from his mistakes? That’s the answer to the question we need to see starting this weekend at the Tennessee Titans. While looking for a record prediction, you hope for at least seven to eight wins this season, but in reality you want to see improvement on the field to feel the direction is positive.