Just like they have for years, the New York Jets enter the season with some questions that must be answered.
The offensive side of the ball, in particular, is subject to fair criticism. With training camp on the horizon, there seems to be more the football world doesn’t know about New York’s attack than what it does know. That leaves plenty of room for Aaron Glenn’s crew to prove folks wrong, albeit with an undetermined baseline on the opposite end of the sword.
With that in mind, the Bleacher Report crew has the Jets sitting at 28th in its pre-camp power rankings.
Justin Fields’ Performance & Other Questions New York Must Answer in 2025
The Jets trail only the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints in the rankings. Analyst Gary Davenport acknowledges what new quarterback Justin Fields can do on the ground, but he isn’t sold on his pure passing chops.
Not only that, but Davenport wonders what the non-Garrett Wilson wide receivers and the line as a whole can do. So much is still up in the air, leading to the ranking.
“Fields is certainly a threat with his legs,” Davenport wrote. “The Jets aren’t completely without weapons in the likes of running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson (who played with Fields at Ohio State). The defense has some talent. But the wide receivers behind Wilson are a question mark. So is New York’s offensive line. Fields has never thrown for even 2,600 yards in a season and is 16 games under .500 as an NFL starter.”
Each of the hesitations Davenport has is a legitimate one. For starters, Hall is one of the Jets’ best players on offense but regressed in 2024. Other than Wilson, a Pro Bowl level of player, the best element of the receiver room is competition. Players like Allen Lazard, Josh Reynolds and Tyler Johnson won’t win consistently against NFL defenses. It’s a top-heavy assortment of skill position players for Fields.
Speaking of Fields, it’s obvious that he’ll do damage carrying the football. That’ll remain a staple of his game forever. With that said, as Davenport mentioned, he has never established himself as a real passer. Reviews of his offseason performance aren’t overwhelmingly positive, to say the least. Consequently, an offense with so many wild cards bogs down the team’s overall ranking.
Analyzing How Jets Stack up With Rest of AFC East
Davenport isn’t completely out on the Jets, in fairness. He believes they can be better than 2024’s 5-12 club. Making it all the way to the postseason isn’t in the cards, though, he writes.
“Beleaguered Jets fans are desperate for some legitimate reason for optimism,” Davenport wrote. “And there’s a path to New York being the second-best team in a bad AFC East. What there isn’t is a realistic chance of ending the team’s long playoff drought in 2025.”
Anyone who’s watched the past several seasons knows the Buffalo Bills are the AFC East’s elites. With Josh Allen at quarterback and a nice offseason in the books, they aren’t going anywhere barring a catastrophic injury. Behind them, the Miami Dolphins have the best recent track record but didn’t improve – at least on paper – following an 8-9 campaign. They could be due for some regression.
That, potentially, is good news for the Jets. The bad news is the New England Patriots finished with just one fewer win (4) than New York a season ago and has enjoyed one heck of an offseason. They’re a popular pick to see a four- or five-win spike in 2025. It seems the floor of the division is higher, which is both an advantage and an obstacle.
In order to beat the No. 28 ranking by a lot, the Jets must field a serviceable offense and experience some positive regression on defense. There’s wiggle room to be merely a bit better instead, although that isn’t the franchise’s goal.
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