FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Looking out for No. 1: The Tennessee Titans became the latest team to join a growing (and troubling) trend in the NFL, one that should grab the Jets’ attention.
Of the last eight quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall, six of them experienced a head coaching change in their rookie season.
“Kind of shocking,” a longtime personnel executive said.
The latest is Cam Ward, whose coach, Brian Callahan, was fired this week after only 23 games (4-19) with the Titans. Most recently, it also happened to Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears, 2024) and Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers, 2023), whom the Jets face Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Sudden change for a young quarterback can stunt his development, often contributing to a vicious cycle of instability at the two most important positions in an organization — coach and quarterback.
The Jets know this better than most because of their history, and it’s certainly a situation they could be walking into.
The only winless team at 0-6, they’re the frontrunner for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, and they probably will be in the quarterback market. Coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey likely will be entrusted with the enormous responsibility of picking and developing a quarterback.
Could they get it right?
The early returns aren’t promising. They fired Aaron Rodgers, who is playing solid ball for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and replaced him with Justin Fields — 29th out of 33 qualified passers in Total QBR. They gave him a $30 million guarantee, betting that Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand — both first-timers — could get him to play at a level his previous teams couldn’t.
Engstrand was asked if he’s maximizing Fields’ unique skill set.
“Yeah, I think we’re really trying to put Justin in a position to have success, whether that’s running the ball or trying to get him on the move or getting the ball out quickly on the perimeter,” Engstrand said. “I think we’re trying to do what’s best for his skill set.”
The numbers suggest otherwise. Fields has rushed only 14 times on designed plays and 85% of his pass attempts have come from the pocket, per NFL Next Gen Stats — his highest rate since his rookie year (2021) with the Bears.
Mindful of the commitment to Fields, financial and otherwise, Glenn has remained steadfast in his support. One more bad game, though, and he might have to reconsider.
2. Banged up: Fields offered a reason for why he hasn’t been running as much as he did early in the season, saying he sustained a “huge contusion” against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, and “my legs haven’t been feeling the best.”
He didn’t appear on the injury report until Week 6 — a full participant with a knee injury. No longer listed, Fields said, “My legs are kind of getting back under me.”
3. Did you know? Fields has yet to throw an interception in 123 attempts. It’s the longest interception-free streak by a Jets quarterback to start a season since Mark Sanchez in 2010. That year, he began with 149 straight attempts without a pick, per ESPN Research.
4. Where are the screens? Remember in training camp, when Glenn was talking up Breece Hall‘s versatility, how they were going to split him out as a receiver and get him heavily involved in the passing game?
Like a lot of things around the Jets, it hasn’t happened.
Of Hall’s 17 receptions (below his usual rate), only one occurred when he lined up outside the backfield. In fact, he has run only three pass routes when split out wide.
He could be a weapon on screen passes, but the Jets seem averse to them — only four screens to running backs, per ESPN Research. Only two were completed, including one to Hall that went for 33 yards in Week 1, tied for their longest pass play of the year.
A screen is a great way to slow down an excellent pass rush (like last week versus the Denver Broncos), but they didn’t run any. Why don’t they use screens?
“Great question,” Engstrand said. “I think there are some times that we’ve called them and maybe it just didn’t work out.”
5. Benched: For all the talk about accountability, only one starter on offense or defense has been benched for performance — safety Tony Adams. (It’s worth noting that kickoff returners Xavier Gipson and Isaiah Williams were released after bad games, though Williams is back on the practice squad.) Adams was replaced last week by rookie Malachi Moore, who is expected to remain the starter.
“They told me there some plays that I should’ve made that I didn’t make,” Adams told ESPN. “I didn’t do nothing but say, ‘Yes, sir.’ I respected their decision and went along with my day.”
Adams is 26 and has plenty of experience (31 career starts). Could he be traded? That seems unlikely but never say never in the NFL. You have to wonder if teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, both looking for secondary help, might inquire.
6. Trade rumblings: The 49ers’ defense, led by former Jets coach Robert Saleh, has been decimated by injuries. That’s why some folks in league circles believe the 49ers will check on the availability of edge rushers Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald IV and linebacker Quincy Williams, some of Saleh’s favorites in New York.
Williams is in the final year of his contract, making him a trade candidate. The trade deadline is Nov. 4.
7. Waiting in the wings: The defense could get healthier next week. Williams, who suffered a shoulder injury in Week 3, is eligible to come off injured reserve and is expected to start practicing.
8. Inside the meeting: The defense, perhaps sparked by its players-only meeting, played its best game last week. The hope in the locker room is that there’s carryover against the Panthers. The meeting was described by players as an exchange of thoughts and ideas. It was a Quinnen Williams production, they said. Harrison Phillips and Jamien Sherwood also spoke, but Williams was the main speaker.
“When you walk in here as a player, it doesn’t take long to find out that he’s the leader of the defense,” safety Isaiah Oliver said.
9. Can’t bury the shovel: This week marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most infamous plays in franchise history — the Bubby Brister shovel pass against the Panthers.
A routine shovel pass, one of the safest plays in football, turned into disaster when linebacker Sam Mills intercepted it and returned it for a game-changing touchdown in 1995, leading the expansion Panthers to their first win. For the Jets, the play symbolized a lost era of football under Rich Kotite.
Glenn played in that game, but it was the other starting cornerback who made a big play — an interception by Vance Joseph, the same Vance Joseph whose Broncos defense dominated Glenn’s Jets last week in London.
10. The last word: Quinnen Williams on whether he’s “antsy” to increase his individual production, “I’m antsy to win football games.”
