Expectations were high for the New York Jets last year before Aaron Rodgers went down, but the veteran passer is back and ready to go to start this NFL season.
The AFC East is vulnerable, and with an elite defense, New York could make a run. Will the team be a top contender or fall into its usual patterns of disappointment?
Let’s take a look at how this year could go for the Jets.
5 Bold Jets Predictions This Season
The Offensive Line Is a Top-8 Unit
Let’s get started with one prediction that will make some later ones possible. This one may look outlandish at a glance, as the Jets’ offensive line has been a total disaster in most recent seasons, but the talent is in place for the unit to take a step up — if healthy.
Tyron Smith may not be quite what he once was, but he’s a phenomenal veteran addition to this team. Morgan Moses was another big pickup, and first-round rookie Olu Fashanu will provide excellent depth if either veteran needs to miss time. With Alijah Vera-Tucker set to come back from injury, there’s no reason this line can’t make a jump into the NFL’s top tier.
Breece Hall Wins Offensive Player of the Year
Of course, with a great line comes great opportunities for a running back.
Even rushing behind the problematic unit of a year ago, Hall approached a 1,000-yard season while averaging a respectable 4.5 yards per carry. He showed plenty of explosiveness, as he did during his injury-shortened rookie campaign, and even took a big step up in the receiving game with 76 catches.
The improved offensive line and a defense that should have the Jets playing with a lead most weeks could be the perfect recipe for Hall’s volume and efficiency.
Rodgers’ return at quarterback can only be good for Hall’s progression as a receiver, too. The precision passer has generally done a great job of involving his backfield. (Think Aaron Jones in Green Bay in the short-to-intermediate air game.)
The Williams Brothers are First-Team All-Pros
In 2022, New York defensive tackle Quinnen Williams received the honor. Last year, it was linebacker Quincy Williams, a surprise breakout candidate.
Interestingly enough, Quinnen also set tackling career highs in 2023 en route to a Pro Bowl selection, but it wasn’t enough for a first-team nod as his sack numbers took a dip. However, the underlying numbers did not suggest that his actual level of play fell off; in fact, it was the opposite.
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Whether or not it should, team success — and unit success, at a slightly more granular level — plays a role in these selections. If the Jets are a serious contender with a top-three defense, expect multiple players to receive All-Pro honors.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner will be a candidate, but could miss out on the award if he isn’t thrown to very often, which he won’t be if opposing passers are wise. You can’t avoid elite run defenders, however, so expect these two front-seven brothers to receive the recognition they are due this season.
Leonard Taylor Becomes an Indispensable Starter
Alongside the Williams brothers, expect one more star to emerge along the Jets’ defensive front.
Leonard Taylor went into his senior season viewed as at least a consensus Day 2 draft pick, if not higher, but a brutal final campaign at Miami caused him to slip out of the draft entirely.
Still, the talent that led to his initial high prospect grading never faded, and after an extremely strong preseason, he’s made it to the Jets’ regular-season roster as an undrafted free agent.
With a great mentor to learn from in Williams and one of the best defensive coaching staffs in the sport, expect Taylor’s talent to be fully realized as a Jet, starting with a very promising rookie season.
Jets Win the Super Bowl
It could be argued that no prediction is bolder than picking this team to win a championship. The Jets have the longest postseason drought in all of major North American sports, and they haven’t won or even appeared in a Super Bowl since the 1968 season, when they pulled off a historic upset of the Baltimore Colts.
This year, all of that changes.
The foundation is set, with New York set to dominate at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football.
The AFC East is in disarray; the New England Patriots are in a total nosedive, and the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are talented but fundamentally flawed, while the rest of the conference is wide open seeding-wise.
Rodgers is, of course, the key. The Jets have struggled to find high-end quarterback play for more or less their entire existence, and this year, they hardly even need it.
If he can be even a diminished version of the quarterback he’s been throughout his late 30s, he should be enough to produce enough with this offense to win with a truly elite defense on the other side of the ball.