The New York Jets are just hours away from beginning their first game action under the Aaron Glenn era. Their preseason contest against the Green Bay Packers will be a must-watch affair now that the head coach has announced that his starters will play on Saturday night.
As is the case with any preseason contest with starters playing, there are many things to watch for fans, analysts, and coaches around the league.
With kickoff coming shortly, it’s time to take a look at three of the biggest things to watch going into the preseason contest in Lambeau Field.
What to watch for in Jets’ preseason opener
With Glenn’s decision to start many of the organization’s main stars on Saturday, Jets fans will get their first look at determining just how much the group has improved since the coaching change was made in January.
Let’s get to some of the things that the organization needs to prove more than anything now.
Trench warfare
New York won’t have their full collection of starters on both the offensive and defensive lines, but that doesn’t mean Saturday should be a wash for either group. The contest will be a great chance to see how the Jets’ young tackles, Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu, play together on either side of the line.
It will also be a chance to gauge the center competition between Joe Tippmann and Josh Myers.
Defensively, watching how Will McDonald looks after a tremendous start to training camp will be a sight to behold. Green Bay’s starting tackles (who are expected to play) are quite good, so this will be a chance for McDonald and other players behind him to step up.
Offensive decision-making
With starters playing, that means Justin Fields will get his first action on the field in meaningful competition on Saturday. The big thing for him will be his overall decision-making.
If he can be decisive, not put the ball in harms way, and go through his reads confidently, the Jets should be pleased with the outcome that comes on Saturday. If he doesn’t, then it shows the offense still has a long way to go.
Green Bay’s defense was strong last season, so this will be a solid test for Fields as a pure passer.
Behind him, the competition between Brady Cook and Adrian Martinez will finally get some meaningful reps to see which player is more likely to earn a roster spot.
Tackling
One of the biggest issues last season for New York was tackling on defense. They routinely struggled to bring down ball-carriers, and it allowed for big plays throughout the year.
Glenn has focused on making sure that wouldn’t happen this season. He has run live tackling drills in practice to get his team ready to solve that issue.
Saturday will be the first test to see if the team is learning from Glenn’s message, whether the starters are in or not.