Aaron Glenn is transferring many aspects of the Detroit Lions’ culture to the New York Jets.

One of the most underrated? The importance of special teams.

According to FTN Fantasy, Detroit had the NFL’s top ranked special teams unit in the 2024 season, based on the DVOA metric.

Glenn has witnessed the impact that a dominant special teams unit can have on an elite football team. It’s why he has conducted a top-to-bottom overhaul of New York’s special teams unit after a 24th-ranked finish last season.

Led by first-year special teams coordinator Chris Banjo, the Jets’ rebuilt special teams unit got off to a highly promising start in its preseason debut. Banjo has said he wants his unit to be “competitive as hell,” and they embodied that spirit in Green Bay.

Punting

The Jets released rookie punter Kai Kroeger back on July 27. Since then, second-year man Austin McNamara has been the lone wolf in the punting room.

Upon Kroeger’s release, it seemed likely that the Jets would replace him with a new competitor for McNamara. But the days continued to pile up, and McNamara remained unchallenged.

Saturday’s game may have shown us why.

Each of McNamara’s three punts yielded a positive result for New York. He had a 53-yarder stamped out for no gain on the return, a 54-yarder muffed and recovered by the Jets, and a 36-yard pooch punt fair caught at the 10-yard line.

McNamara recorded both a gross and net average of 47.7 yards. He combined his excellent distance with sufficient hang time, which allowed his coverage team to get downfield. The Jets yielded zero yards across two attempted punt returns.

McNamara averaged 4.46 seconds of hang time on his punts. For perspective, that would have ranked eighth-best out of 33 qualified punters in the 2024 regular season.

That combination of distance and hang time is unique if McNamara can sustain it. There were only three punters last season who averaged 4.46+ seconds of hang time while producing 47.7+ gross yards per punt: Jack Fox, Michael Dickson, and Tommy Townsend, who have been All-Pros in the NFL.

It was only three punts in a single preseason game, but McNamara provided a glimpse of why the Jets may have already decided on him as their punter.

Punt coverage

Jets legend Mecole Hardman gained zero yards across his two punt returns. Qwan’tez Stiggers crushed him on one return. The other was a muff; Isaiah Oliver hit Hardman to prevent him from recovering the ball, and undrafted rookie Ja’Markis Weston flew in to recover it.

Chris Banjo carved out a decade-long NFL career thanks to his prowess as a gunner. You can already see his tenacity rubbing off on the back end of the Jets’ roster. Many of these players know that shining on special teams is their only path to a roster spot, and they showed it on Saturday.

Punt Return

Undrafted rookie wideout Jamaal Pritchett started at punt returner for the Jets. His numbers weren’t flashy – four returns for 33 yards (8.3 per return) – but Pritchett showed some juice, forcing two missed tackles.

Pritchett also displayed an example of in-game learning, which you love to see from a young player in the preseason.

On his second return opportunity of the game, Pritchett fair caught a ball at the 6-yard line, which isn’t ideal. However, on a later punt, Pritchett abandoned the ball and let it bounce around the 6-yard line. It tumbled into the end zone for a touchback.

It shows that Pritchett is capable of learning from his mistakes on the fly. That will further strengthen his burgeoning case for a roster spot.

Kickoff coverage

With the NFL moving the traditional touchback on a kickoff out to the 35-yard line, teams will try to make the opponent return the ball on the majority of kickoffs this year.

Saturday’s game was a sign of what’s to come. Of the game’s 10 kickoffs, eight were returned. Jets kicker Harrison Mevis delivered a touchback on just two of his seven kickoffs.

This means that the kickoff return game is about to make a comeback. Kick return and kick coverage units will be more important than they have been in a long time.

The Jets got off to a so-so start in terms of kick coverage. Across five returned kickoffs, the Packers achieved an average starting field position of their 29.2-yard line. Former Jets running back Israel Abanikanda had returns that set the Packers up at their own 40 and 35-yard lines.

The new rules allow for kickers to add value by precisely locating kicks in a spot where the ball hits outside of the end zone and bounces into it for a touchback. If a touchback occurs in this fashion, the ball comes out to the 20-yard line instead of the 35.

Mevis pulled this off once on a third-quarter kickoff, placing the ball inches shy of the goal line on the far right side of the field, evading Green Bay’s returners as it bounced through the end zone and cost the Packers 15 yards.

Kickoff return

The Jets returned all three of the kickoffs sent their way. On these plays, they achieved an average starting field position of their 27.7-yard line.

Kene Nwangwu, Malachi Corley, and Jamaal Pritchett each returned one kick for New York. Nwangwu achieved the best result, taking a 35-yard return from the goal line. An All-Pro kick returner with four career scores, Nwangwu is expected to secure this job. Pritchett picked up 23 yards from the goal line.

Corley arguably made a poor decision by taking the ball out from six yards deep into the end zone. With a touchback taking teams to the 35-yard line, it should be a no-brainer to take a knee from that deep in the end zone. You would need a 42-yard return to outperform a simple kneeldown, which is a tough ask.

While Corley probably made the wrong decision there, it is understandable that he wants to use any opportunity he can get to showcase his playmaking skills. He only picked up 31 yards on the return, though, putting New York at its own 25-yard line, a net loss of 10 yards.

Kicking

Nick Folk attempted the extra point following New York’s first touchdown. It was a no-doubter. While it hooked slightly toward the left, it had plenty of lift and was never in danger of missing the mark.

After that, Harrison Mevis attempted the remainder of New York’s kicks. He made each of his three field goals, although they were all sub-40-yard attempts, coming from 22, 27, and 39 yards. Mevis also went two for two on extra points.

It is worth noting, though, that Mevis’ makes were not pretty. His 22-yard attempt hooked far to the left and nearly hit the goalpost. Later, he overcompensated on his 27-yard attempt, pushing it far to the right and again nearly hitting the goalpost.

Folk seems to have a sizable lead in this competition.