It’s time to take our eyes off the ball.
When the New York Jets dealt Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams back-to-back, they sent a message: Winning is not our priority for the remainder of 2025.
Rather, the goal is to begin accumulating talent that can be a part of the solution in 2026 and beyond.
If wins come alongside that, the Jets would be thrilled. But if they were focused on winning as many of the next nine games as possible, trading Gardner and Williams wouldn’t have been on the table.
The Jets’ primary focus over their final nine games is evaluating the talent on their roster. They will seek to gather information that can strengthen their decisions in the 2026 offseason.
Ideally, multiple young players emerge as long-term solutions in roles that remain unaccounted for on the 2026 Week 1 depth chart. The fewer holes the Jets have to fill, the more resources they can allocate toward each need.
READ MORE: Jets film breakdown: AD Mitchell was constantly missed for TDs in IndyWith competitive stakes evaporated, it’s time to alter the way we observe Jets games moving forward. Whether you’re a fan, analyst, or casual observer, the best way to watch the Jets over the next nine weeks is to focus on the individual battles happening across the field.
In other words, taking our eyes off the ball.
When casually watching a football game, it’s impossible to take our eyes off the ball. All of the action revolves around it. The sport’s most popular players, particularly the ones who dictate the fates of our fantasy teams, are the ones who spend the most time cradling it. The camera further influences our eyes by following the ball; it doesn’t even pan out wide enough to see all 22 players on the field.
Yet, anyone who knows a thing or two about football understands that all of the important stuff is happening away from the ball. Most of the time, the guy standing around in the backfield with the ball in his hands is the least interesting thing happening on the field at a given moment.
The presentation of football on television has trained us to fixate on that one guy in the backfield, oblivious to the other 21 guys who are setting the table for what’s about to happen. From a pure entertainment standpoint, there isn’t much wrong with that; it’s arguably the most exciting way to watch a game. You won’t miss any of the highlight-reel moments if you never stop watching the ball.
But from a football junkie’s standpoint, ball-watching is sinful.
And if you still bother to watch the 2025 Jets from here on out… let’s face it, you’re a football junkie.
So, it’s time to stop being concerned with wins and losses, and start watching the Jets in a way that will provide you with the most relevant information about their future.
Here are four player-versus-player matchups to fixate on when the Jets host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Direct your attention toward these guys; trust me, you’re doing your eyes a favor by taking them off Justin Fields and Dillon Gabriel.
Jets LT Olu Fashanu (No. 74) vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett (No. 95)
As a young player and premium draft pick at a high-value position, left tackle Olu Fashanu is one of the most critical X-factors in the Jets’ long-term future.
Chosen 11th overall in the 2024 draft, Fashanu ideally anchors the Jets’ blind side for the next decade. He showed every ounce of that potential in a small sample of starts at left tackle late in his rookie season.
Fashanu’s second season has not featured the leap that New York hoped to see. He’s given up the ninth-most total pressures (22) among left tackles, while his 63.9 overall grade at Pro Football Focus ranks 41st out of 72 qualified tackles (min. 300 snaps).
The good news is that Fashanu has been trending up after an ice-cold start. Over his last three games, Fashanu has allowed just four pressures on 115 pass-blocking snaps (3.5% pressure rate), compared to 18 pressures on 203 pass-blocking snaps (8.9% pressure rate) over his first five games. Since Week 6, Fashanu has PFF’s fifth-best pass-blocking grade among left tackles (79.6).
The bad news is that Myles Garrett is coming to New Jersey.
Coming off a five-sack outburst in Week 8, the future Hall-of-Famer is having one of his best seasons; he is currently on pace for career highs in sacks (21) and tackles for loss (32). Garrett has lined up on the right side of Cleveland’s defensive line on 81% of his defensive snaps this year, so he will likely face Fashanu for most of the game.
This is a fantastic opportunity for Fashanu to prove that he’s turning a corner. Following a rough opening stretch, he’s started to look like the trusty blindside protector New York needs him to be. If he can sustain that progress against the likes of Garrett, Fashanu’s future in green will look bright.
Fashanu is 22 years old and has still only started 13 NFL games at left tackle. He’s relatively green for a second-year tackle chosen in the first round, so patience was always going to be necessary entering the season. Now that he’s begun to show in-season progress, it seems that the mounting experience is starting to pay off for him.
Let’s see if it’s enough to hold up against Garrett.
Fashanu’s upcoming stretch of games is critical for both his own future and the Jets’ rebuild plans. His 2026 opening-week starting spot is likely safe barring a catastrophic finish to 2025, but if he comes out of this season looking like an average-ish starter (which is where his season-long numbers currently sit), the Jets may begin to think about contingency plans at left tackle.
Perhaps the Jets could sign a veteran to compete with Fashanu. Looking even further down the line, with three first-round picks in 2027, they could use one of them on a left tackle if Fashanu does not solidify himself as a quality starter through his first three seasons.
It would be tremendously beneficial for the Jets’ rebuild if Fashanu can use the next nine games to eliminate left tackle—one of the most important roles on the field—as a long-term concern. This week’s battle against Garrett is the best opportunity he’ll get to prove that he’s a keeper.
Jets WR Adonai Mitchell (No. 15) vs. Browns CB Denzel Ward (No. 21)
The Jets don’t have to wait until the next two drafts to start reaping the rewards of the Sauce Gardner trade. Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell can begin paying off the deal as soon as this week.
A second-round pick one year ago, the 23-year-old Mitchell boasts a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score and some of the league’s best separation metrics since he was drafted. His film is littered with instances of Anthony Richardson missing him for wide-open touchdowns.
When Mitchell has enjoyed the opportunity to play with someone other than Richardson, he’s produced at the level of a top-tier receiver.
The Texas product has posted 314 receiving yards on 149 career routes run without Richardson at quarterback, an average of 2.11 yards per route run. For perspective, that would rank 15th-best among wide receivers (min. 30 targets) this season, slotting between Emeka Egbuka (2.12) and Malik Nabers (2.02).
Suffice to say, Mitchell is loaded with upside. He’s more than just a throw-in to the Gardner deal. He is a high-ceiling player at a premium position—one where the Jets are extremely thin.
While we do not know what the Jets’ plans are for Mitchell, he already participated in practice this week, so he will likely suit up on Sunday. With No. 2 wide receiver Josh Reynolds on injured reserve, the door is open for Mitchell to step directly into a featured role.
One of Mitchell’s primary matchups will be Denzel Ward, the Browns’ top cornerback on the outside.
Ward mans the left cornerback spot for Cleveland. It’s unknown where Mitchell will line up for the Jets, but he has been heavily utilized as an outside receiver in his career (79% of routes), which means he should see quite a bit of Ward, who won’t follow Garrett Wilson since the Browns keep their corners to one side of the field.
While he’s a four-time Pro Bowler, Ward is having a career-worst season at age 28, owning career lows in passer rating allowed (94.3) and PFF’s coverage grade (52.9). Mitchell has a chance to make an impact in his Jets debut.
The big question is whether Justin Fields will give Mitchell any chances. Fields has been extremely conservative in 2025. As the Jets seek to evaluate Mitchell, John Metchie, and Arian Smith, it’s imperative for Fields to dial up his aggressiveness.
DT Mazi Smith (No. 58) vs. Browns C Ethan Pocic (No. 55)
The biggest wild card from the Jets’ trade deadline frenzy? That would be Mazi Smith, a defensive tackle acquired from Dallas in the Quinnen Williams trade.
Like Mitchell, Smith is a recent high draft pick. He was chosen in the first round (26th overall) of the 2023 draft, and he’s still only 24 years old. It’s apparent that, in exchange for their known commodities, the Jets wanted to receive not just draft picks, but also young players with upside who they could immediately begin working with.
Unlike Mitchell, though, Smith’s profile doesn’t suggest he’s anything more than a throw-in. Smith had three years to prove himself in Dallas and couldn’t carve out a role within a sputtering defensive line. At this point, he is little more than a lottery ticket.
After starting 17 games in 2024, Smith was buried within a depleted Cowboys defensive line that has been pummeled throughout the 2025 season. He played five games with no starts and was a healthy scratch in four games.
There isn’t anything about Smith’s resume that screams “untapped potential.” He only has two sacks and 18 total pressures on 433 career pass-rush snaps, a paltry 4.2% pressure rate over a sizable sample. Against the run, he’s earned sub-40.0 grades from Pro Football Focus in all three of his seasons.
Still, as a 24-year-old player with first-round talent, it’s early enough for him to have a sliver of a chance that his best could be ahead of him. You never know when the lightbulb could go off for a talented player after getting a change of scenery.
It wouldn’t be the first time that a player in Smith’s shoes forged a massive turnaround after joining a new team. There are multiple examples of first-round defensive tackles flipping the switch after finding a new home.
Dan Williams, a 1993 first-round pick of the Broncos, had just four sacks and 77 tackles across four seasons in Denver (46 games, 39 starts). After being released and signing with the Chiefs, Williams had a 10.5-sack season, part of his 23 sacks and 111 tackles across three seasons in Kansas City.
Adam Carriker, chosen by St. Louis in 2007’s first round, only had two sacks in his first three years after being drafted, like Smith. He was traded to Washington, where he racked up seven sacks in two seasons before injuries ended his career.
You also have players who were late bloomers without changing teams, such as 2002 first-rounder Albert Haynesworth, who averaged under two sacks per season across his first five years in Tennessee before suddenly achieving first-team All-Pro status in his sixth and seventh seasons.
Those examples are few and far between, though; the Jets and their fans should expect little of Smith. Most defensive tackles who start off this poorly just aren’t cut out to be NFL difference-makers.
Still, for a 1-7 team with a defensive tackle unit that might now be the NFL’s weakest after losing Quinnen Williams, Smith is a worthwhile lottery ticket to add to the room.
Smith will receive plenty of chances to prove himself over the next nine games. Without Williams, the Jets’ next-best defensive tackle is run-stopping specialist Jowon Briggs, who is tied for 49th at the position in defensive stops (10) and 69th in pressures (9). The unit is desperate for anyone to step up, particularly in the pass game.
It should be beneficial for Smith to draw wisdom from Harrison Phillips, who has been a valuable on and off-field presence for New York’s defensive line since coming over in an August trade. Alongside Phillips, Quinnen Williams was having the best run-stopping season of his career, while Briggs is proving himself as a legitimate NFL rotation player after being a seventh-round pick in 2024.
Smith might never be a dominant NFL pass rusher, but the 6-foot-3, 337-pounder might have a shot at establishing himself as a useful run-stopping nose tackle. In the Jets’ scheme, New York values defensive linemen who know how to plug gaps and hold their ground, as opposed to his schemes in Dallas, which valued explosive players who could shoot gaps.
Don’t expect much from him, but the Mazi Smith experiment will be fascinating to watch over the next nine games. With no roles solidified in the 2026 defensive tackle unit (perhaps save for Briggs), this former first-rounder has every opportunity to prove himself.
During the 2024 season in Dallas, when he started all 17 games, Smith lined up over the center on 49% of his snaps. Look for him to battle against ninth-year Browns center Ethan Pocic on Sunday.
This season, Pocic ranks 23rd out of 32 centers in PFF’s grading system with a mediocre 60.3 grade. It makes him a solid measuring stick for Smith in his first game within the Jets’ scheme. If he can win his matchup with Pocic, it won’t be a statement that he’s a budding superstar, but he will take his first steps toward establishing himself as a rosterable nose tackle in 2026.
Jets RDE Will McDonald (No. 9) vs. Browns LT Cam Robinson (No. 68)
It’s been a strange season for Will McDonald.
Coming off a 10.5-sack outburst in 2024, expectations were high for the former first-round pick. Already 26 years old entering his third season, McDonald was expected to put himself among the league’s best sack artists.
The sack outburst hasn’t happened. McDonald only has three sacks, compared to eight at this point last season.
However, it hasn’t been entirely his fault. Offenses are getting the ball out quickly against a Jets defense with porous coverage at linebacker and safety, limiting opportunities for McDonald to feast. The Jets’ opponents average 2.53 seconds to throw, fifth-fastest in the NFL.
In some independent pass-rush metrics, McDonald looks quite strong. Pro Football Focus rates him with an 83.3 pass-rush grade in true pass sets, ranking 15th-best among 92 edge rushers with at least 50 chances in those situations.
Unfortunately for McDonald, he’s only received 76 true pass set opportunities, the 62nd-most among edge rushers. This is mainly because the Jets are usually trailing, allowing opponents to avoid obvious passing situations. Thus, McDonald has been unable to maximize his efficiency in those scenarios.
While he grades well in true pass sets, the biggest concern with McDonald is that his ability to generate pressure has declined just as severely as his sack production. In 2024, McDonald not only had 10.5 sacks, but he also ranked 13th among edge rushers with 61 total pressures. So far in 2025, he’s just 64th with 16 total pressures, on pace for just 34 over the whole season.
There’s no excuse for McDonald performing so poorly in the pressure department. We can cut him some slack for the lack of sacks, as sacks are volatile and can be attributed to circumstances, but edge rushers typically have control over pressures.
McDonald has declined. Plain and simple.
The Jets have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and their lack of a pass rush is among the main culprits. They are tied for second-worst in sacks (11) and quarterback hits (26), while they rank fourth-worst in pressure rate (16.3%).
When the player who’s supposed to be your best pass rusher is 64th at his position in pressures, he owns the largest portion of the blame.
We know McDonald isn’t in the NFL for his run defense; that will never be his forte. So, if he can’t start providing elite pass-rush impact, he might not have a starting role on this Jets team moving into 2026. Perhaps they can keep him around as a situational pass rusher, but McDonald is untenable as a starter if his pass-rush impact remains as mediocre as it’s been in 2025.
McDonald needs to explode over the next nine games. If not, the Jets will likely use one of their four picks within the first two rounds of the 2026 draft to find his replacement.
Sunday is a great opportunity to start his turnaround. McDonald, who primarily lines up on the right side, will battle Browns left tackle Cam Robinson. In just three starts, Robinson has coughed up 13 pressures and committed five penalties.
If McDonald cannot start dominating matchups like this on a routine basis, he will lose his right to a starting job on the 2026 squad.
