The New York Jets wrapped up the first week of training camp with their longest practice to date on Saturday morning. The competitive two-hour-long practice saw plenty of highlight plays and intriguing new looks from the organization.

As always, it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from Saturday’s slate.

Let’s get to it.

Important Takeaways from Jets’ Camp

The final day of practice this week saw plenty of success on both sides of the ball. New York’s defense forced a couple of turnovers, while the offense racked up a few touchdowns of its own.

Plenty of players stood out throughout the day. It’s time to break down each of them here.

Justin Fields Returns…sort of

While New York’s franchise quarterback did not appear in team drills, the former first-round pick did get some reps during seven-on-seven work.

Fields was fantastic during that session. He did not record a single incomplete pass while spreading the rock to his cast of receivers, including Tyler Johnson, Josh Reynolds, and Garrett Wilson. His ability to read the defense in that session was probably the most important part.

One of Fields’ biggest struggles through his career has been his inability to read coverages down the field. Today was an important step to showing that improvements have been made in that area.

While we still aren’t sure how long it’ll be before Fields is ready to go fully during practice, his “limited” role today was a good indication it won’t be too long.

Unexpected Stars

There are always random moments in an NFL training camp where players come out of nowhere to dominate during a particular practice. Some of those parlay that into future success and a spot on the roster.

Others aren’t able to build off it at all.

Time will tell what happens in Florham Park, but two underrated players who stood out Saturday were defensive tackle Payton Page and wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett.

Both Page and Pritchett are undrafted free agent pickups after successful college careers. Pritchett caught multiple passes throughout Saturday’s practice, and remains a prospect that is making life hard for the Jets’ coaching staff. The more he produces over guys like Allen Lazard and Malachi Corley, the tougher the decision becomes for New York.

Then there is Page. The Clemson product hasn’t shown much throughout offseason workouts and the first few days of training camp.

That all changed on Saturday.

Page blew up two running plays and even would have had a sack as well during team drills. He was unblockable throughout the practice, and shows a kind of athleticism many wouldn’t expect from the prospect.

He’s still a long shot to make the Jets’ roster at this point, but if he can build off of today, Page is another UDFA that may have a greater impact later in August.

Will McDonald Breakout Continues

No player has looked as dominant in camp throughout the last week more than Will McDonald. The former first-round pick has used his trademark speed to make life miserable for both Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu.

McDonald’s spin move is the closest thing we’ve seen to Hall-of-Fame edge rusher Dwight Freeney’s move in years.

But while the Iowa State product has always been known as a speed rusher, one play on Saturday showed that the 26-year-old may be on the cusp of greatness in 2025. Late in the practice, McDonald bull-rushed right over Membou and would have ended up with a sack.

The kind of power that is needed to successfully implement a bull-rush cannot be overstated. McDonald adding this to his list of moves can make him a Pro Bowl (and potentially All-Pro) type of player.

The Fundamentals

To put a bow on what was a physical practice for the organization, Glenn started a drill that the media and public saw for the first time, which anyone who played Pop Warner would know.

New York ran an old-school open-field tackle drill without the actual “tackling” part. Without pads, the Jets wanted to simulate the proper technique used to bring down players in open space for the defense.

It also gave the Jets’ offensive players a chance to focus on their own moves to use during games as well.

Considering New York was one of the worst tackling teams in the league last season, the drill was a welcome addition for fans in attendance. Once the pads come on, a new level of physicality will be added to that as well.

Either way, it seems like the Jets prefer turning back the clock with how they are going to operate in 2025.