In Week 13, New York Jets rookie wide receiver Arian Smith was a healthy scratch against the Atlanta Falcons.
This week, Smith is out of timeout.
“Outstanding,” head coach Aaron Glenn said on Friday, December 5, when asked how Smith responded to getting benched. “He will be up and ready to go.”
On Monday, December 1, Coach Glenn broke his silence on the Smith benching situation.
“Yeah, with Arian, him not being active, that will be something that me and him will keep between us. Just like I always do, when things like that happen, you guys know that I don’t really speak on those things, and the players know that we are going to keep that between ourselves. I’ve said it before, and I’m going to continue to say it: he is a huge part of what we are doing, and listen, we have talked about it, and we are going to move forward and get him ready to play the rest of this season,” Glenn said.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini posted on social media, “Sounds like Arian Smith being a healthy scratch yesterday may have been due to a disciplinary reason.”
Accountability Is a Refreshing Change on 1 Jets Drive
The Jets haven’t consistently found wins under this new regime, but things are different.
When head coach Robert Saleh ran the ship, he didn’t believe in screaming at players when they made mistakes. He explained that they’re adults and that isn’t the way, in his opinion, to motivate them or to hold them accountable.
Accusations of Saleh being a bit more of a friend versus a boss were prevalent throughout his tenure.
Coach Glenn has flexed his accountability muscles on multiple occasions this season. Whether that be forcing a player to sit out a game or cutting a player after mistakes.
One of the times Coach Glenn pulled off this maneuver it had sterling results.
Return specialist and wide receiver Isaiah Williams had two critical errors during the first matchup against the Miami Dolphins. He was cut a few days later and had to sit out at home to ponder his football future. The team brought him back ahead of the next game, and he has evolved into a key piece of the puzzle.
Perhaps Smith can enjoy a similar comeback story.
Opportunities Are Available for Smith to Carve out a Role
Smith, 24, joined the Jets this offseason as the No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of April’s draft.
He has struggled to make a consistent impact this season. Smith has been targeted 10 times this season and has recorded six receptions for 47 receiving yards. He has also had three rushing attempts for 11 yards this year.
If Smith doesn’t strut his stuff this season, he risks falling down the depth chart even further. Two new kids on the block have made immediate impacts for the Jets.
Adonai Mitchell is coming off the first 100+ yard receiving game of his career, and he scored the first touchdown of his career. John Metchie III is becoming a reliable slot target sans an uncharacteristically poor performance versus the Falcons.
If Smith can get his head screwed on straight, he can show he’s worthy of a role in 2026 by finishing strong in 2025.
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