There’s a reason why the wide receiver position is still considered a major need for the New York Jets heading into the 2026 NFL draft.

Last season, Gang Green’s passing offense was ranked dead last in all major categories, including touchdown passes (15) and yards per game (140.3). They had nine games in which they failed to record over 150 yards through the air, a low benchmark that is seemingly inconceivable to miss that frequently in the modern NFL.

The Jets have yet to make any additions to the unit in the 2026 offseason. Regardless, the team is confident in its outlook at the wide receiver position.

“I feel good about the wide receiver room. Obviously, getting Garrett Wilson back and healthy will be big for us,” Jets general manager Darren Mougey said.

New York has relied on Wilson to be their top receiver throughout his entire NFL career, and the former Ohio State product has largely lived up to that. But he isn’t enough on his own.

One fact from last season shows why an upgrade at the position is inevitable.

Jets’ receiver problems

It simply cannot get worse.

Last season, the Jets’ offense did not manage to have a single player record more than 400 receiving yards. Wilson, the team’s top target, was lost after seven games, and the organization never found a way to field a competent passing attack without him.

Now, part of those troubles centers around the quarterback position. New York used three different struggling signal-callers. The low receiving numbers are not all the fault of the receivers themselves.

But they still played a role in the struggles. Drops and a lack of separation were major problems for New York’s offense.

With the acquisition of Geno Smith at quarterback, the Jets have added newfound competency to the position that was not there in 2025. The only serious problem left for the Jets’ offense is the receiver position.

Whether it’s one of the top three targets in the draft—Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon, or the talented but often-injured Arizona State product Jordyn Tyson—or some of the mid-tier players like Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. or Washington’s Denzel Boston, the Jets have a lot of options at receiver in the draft. With four top-45 picks, they can strike just about whenever they please.

It is imperative, though, that the team addresses the room early. New York cannot go into another season relying on the heroics of Wilson to carry the passing offense.

They cannot even expect Adonai Mitchell, a former second-round receiver acquired as part of the Sauce Gardner deal, to be the kind of WR2 the organization desperately needs.

New York’s best hope is to find a player early in the draft to fill that need. There are plenty of quality choices. No matter who they choose, it’s an addition that needs to happen, as the Jets cannot go into the season with limited changes to a receiver room that didn’t produce any 400-yard players last year.

It can’t get any worse than that, which should provide Jets fans with a little comfort going into 2026.