Many of the New York Jets’ free agency additions were made in the spirit of one word: Competition.
While veteran stars like safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Demario Davis will surely start for New York, the bulk of the Jets’ additions will have to scratch and claw for playing time.
That’s just how head coach Aaron Glenn likes it.
“It is a fierce, fierce battle,” Glenn said in August 2025 of the Jets’ surprising center competition between Joe Tippmann and Josh Myers. “And I actually wanted it to be that way, just across the board.”
Instead of splurging on big-ticket players who would be locked into starting roles, the Jets have focused on adding a large quantity of motivated veterans who can compete with New York’s younger players for key roles. It creates a competitive environment that Glenn hopes will bring out the best in the team.
As we move into Day 5 of 2026 free agency, here are five heated positional battles that are on track to take place in Jets training camp after this week’s additions.
Outside cornerback
Unsurprisingly for a defense that yielded a 36-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, no Jets cornerback used the 2025 season to clinch a 2026 starting spot.
Free agent pickup Brandon Stephens was a mixed bag after signing a three-year, $36 million deal. While Stephens tackled well and was generally consistent in coverage, he also allowed 8 touchdowns without an interception. That simply doesn’t cut it.
Stephens’ -8 margin of touchdowns to interceptions was the worst in the NFL among cornerbacks. No other corner even hit the -7 mark.
While Stephens is still likely to start for the Jets in 2026, it’s a stretch to say that his job is guaranteed after a performance like that. If Stephens does not look like a top-two outside cornerback on the Jets roster in the summer, he has not done enough in-game to retain his starting spot.
Third-round rookie Azareye’h Thomas showed the highest ceiling of any cornerback on the team. His Week 8 performance against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was extremely impressive for a 21-year-old rookie making his first NFL start.
However, Thomas still had his share of struggles in coverage, and he only made five starts before his rookie season ended due to a shoulder injury. His sample size of flashes is too small for him to be locked into a starting spot.
With neither Stephens nor Thomas being a sure thing going into 2026, the Jets needed competition at cornerback. They got it in the form of Nahshon Wright.
Despite coming off a Pro Bowl appearance and five interceptions, Wright could only fetch a one-year contract worth up to $5.5 million. He will be highly motivated to prove that his 2025 season was no fluke. If he can do it, the 27-year-old will splurge on the 2027 free agent market.
Wright is a worthy competitor for Stephens and Thomas. As of now, the best two of these three players in training camp should be expected to start in Week 1.
Safety
Minkah Fitzpatrick will start for the Jets at safety. His exact role remains unknown, but given that Fitzpatrick is at his best as a ball hawk in the back end, it stands to reason that he will be the primary single-high safety in Aaron Glenn’s defense.
The veteran also told the media that he expects to continue playing plenty of slot reps, as he did for the Miami Dolphins last season.
With Fitzpatrick in tow, the Jets need a physical box safety to start alongside him. They now have two quality competitors for the role.
Malachi Moore had a promising rookie year after being chosen in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, racking up 101 total tackles, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery across 17 games (14 starts).
Despite the gaudy box-score numbers, Moore still had the bumps that you expect for a fourth-round rookie safety. He has potential, but remains the type of player who needs to compete for future snaps.
The good news for Moore is that Fitzpatrick’s presence should allow him to hone in on a box role, which fits his skill set. Moore struggled in coverage as a rookie (116.1 passer rating allowed), but was lauded for his run defense (70.1 run defense grade at Pro Football Focus).
New York didn’t settle on Moore as their starting box safety, though. As they should have, they went out and got a competitor for him: Dane Belton, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
The former Giant profiles very similarly to Moore. He allowed a 102.5 passer rating in coverage this past season, but earned a 70.7 run defense grade and a 90.6 tackling grade from PFF. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, he has a similar frame to Moore, too, as Moore is listed at 6-foot-0 and 201 pounds.
Expect Belton and Moore to fight tooth-and-nail for the right to start alongside Fitzpatrick. The Jets may even settle on a rotation that allows both players to log snaps.
Like Wright, Belton is coming to New York on a one-year deal in the heart of his prime, which means he will be incredibly motivated to win a starting spot and excel. These are the types of veterans you want in the building to push your young players.
Edge defender
Everything is up for grabs in the Jets’ edge room.
The recent trade of Jermaine Johnson left Will McDonald as the only viable player in the unit. New York quickly addressed the position’s dearth of talent by signing Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare on Day 1 of free agency.
Neither player offers the same type of ceiling as McDonald, who remains the best pass rusher on the roster by a wide margin. However, the two new additions each bring higher floors to the table than the volatile McDonald. Ossai and Enagbare are each significantly heavier than McDonald, helping them establish better track records against the run.
The Jets are also expected to select an edge defender with the second overall pick of the draft. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is the consensus favorite, although Texas Tech’s David Bailey is still in play.
All eyes are on McDonald. Does he fit this defense? Can he improve enough against the run to seize an early-down starting role over Ossai and Enagbare? Will he be relegated to a third-down role?
The good news for New York is that the presence of Ossai and Enagbare gives them a pair of reliable fallbacks in case they do not trust McDonald on the early downs. However, both players have firmly capped ceilings as pass rushers. Neither will be a major difference-maker in that phase. McDonald, though, can be the type of elite pass-rusher who flips games.
There are two looming questions around McDonald. Can he reach his pass-rush ceiling in this scheme after taking a step back under Glenn in 2025? If he doesn’t, is his “solid” pass-rush production worth what he gives back against the run and as a tackler?
McDonald will have to make a statement in the summer, because unlike last year, the Jets are not beholden to him—mind you, a player who was not drafted by the current regime.
With the additions of Ossai, Enagbare, and likely the second overall pick, the Jets will have enough reliable edge defenders to bury McDonald as low as the fourth option on the depth chart if they feel so inclined. That could reduce McDonald, a starter in 2025, to a role as small as the pass-situation-only type of role that Bryce Huff played for New York in 2022.
Quarterback
As of now, Geno Smith is the Jets’ penciled-in starting quarterback, but it cannot be ruled out that New York will add a competitor at some point.
Rumors have swirled that New York plans to add two veteran quarterbacks in free agency, with Carson Wentz being a popular name. That has not come to fruition yet, but Wentz remains available, as do a plethora of veterans with ample starting experience.
The Jets could also target a quarterback relatively early in the NFL draft. It’s not going to happen with the second overall pick, but with three selections from slots 16 to 44, the Jets have enough picks to feel comfortable with allocating one of them toward a swing at their non-Fernando Mendoza quarterback of choice.
Plus, given how many holes on the depth chart they have filled in free agency, the Jets may feel even more inclined to use one of their top picks on a quarterback with legitimate upside.
Smith’s presence allows the Jets to be patient with a potential rookie quarterback. He is an experienced veteran who can competently hold the fort down if a young signal-caller isn’t ready to play.
However, given the Jets’ minimal financial commitment to Smith, his age, and his low ceiling, he also leaves the door open for a rookie to usurp him if the kid develops quickly enough.
All in all, Smith is the perfect stopgap quarterback to pair with a valued rookie. He can start if the rookie isn’t ready, but won’t get in the way if the rookie earns an opportunity.
Drafting a quarterback has become an even more appealing idea for the Jets after acquiring Smith. Don’t be surprised if New York adds one on Day 2, or even trades up into the late-first for Ty Simpson.
Toss in the possibility of a second veteran quarterback coming in, and there is a chance that the Jets could see their first three-way quarterback race since the world-famous clash between Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg, and Bryce Petty in 2017.
Kicker
Nick Folk is out after a one-miss 2025 season, leaving the Jets digging through the kicker scrap heap.
Their first addition is former 2022 fourth-round pick Cade York, who was a bust in Cleveland and has since played for five other NFL teams. He has a 73.3% career field goal percentage in the regular season, which is unplayable.
Presumably, the Jets will add another kicker to compete with York, whether it’s a veteran, a draft pick, or an undrafted free agent.
The Jets finally enjoyed a season in which their kicker didn’t cause fans to rip hairs out of their skulls (however many of those they have left after watching this franchise for so many years). Instead of bringing that man back, they let him walk to the Atlanta Falcons for a measly $4 million guaranteed. Now, Jets fans will once again be subjected to a stressful kicking competition between unproven options.
At least it makes training camp more entertaining, right? A random Wednesday in August isn’t quite complete without rampantly refreshing Twitter to find out which Jets kicker has a leg up on his competition.
