How underrated play in Jets opener highlights Aaron Glenn’s best

The New York Jets are not a finished product. No team is at this stage of training camp and the preseason.

But one play during their preseason opener showed just how far they have come in the eight short months led by new head coach Aaron Glenn.

On the starting offense’s first and only drive of the game, quarterback Justin Fields scampered through for a 13-yard touchdown run. The touchdown was a microcosm of the team’s 30-10 demolition of the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

There was a bigger takeaway from that play, though. It showed how much of an impact Glenn has already had on the organization.

Jets’ new mindset

As Fields began to run toward the end zone, second-year running back Isaiah Davis took his defender (who was guarding him on a pass route) deep into the end zone.

It wasn’t until Fields scored that Davis’ defender realized what had happened.

After he noticed Fields taking off, the Jets’ second-year running back mimicked that a touchdown pass was coming toward him. Davis’ move tricked his defender into chasing him instead of turning around and pursuing Fields.

Fields may not have scored if not for the space created by Davis’ heads-up play.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the team’s joint practice on Tuesday, Glenn made it clear that Davis’ fake-out on that play highlights how the Jets have changed to a more cerebral organization.

“It’s the things that we talk about, being smart, and I said it from the beginning, the type of players that we want on our team are smart, tough, aggressive, and resilient,” Glenn said. “So, it doesn’t surprise me at all.

“I’m not saying that we talk about it in totality, but he just made a smart play, and those type of players we want on our team, so it doesn’t surprise me.”

When Glenn was first introduced as head coach back in January, he made it clear that he wanted to bring in smart players across the roster. In-game intelligence can sometimes be the difference between a win and a loss.

Davis was a fifth-round pick by the organization and only recorded 39 touches in his rookie campaign. He is expected to have a larger role in New York’s offense going into 2025 as the Jets prepare for a by-committee approach at running back.

Recording a play that highlights his in-game intelligence can go a long way toward earning even more playing time this year.

And it showcases just how much Glenn has rubbed off on the team about the importance of being smart on the field at all times.