Entering the 2026 season, the New York Jets’ roster looks much different compared to last year, as our own Omari Brown dissected.
While few people expected the team to win just three games in 2025, the Jets’ roster outlook entering 2026 seems much more promising than it did last year, and it’s for one key reason.
Things are different this time around
Looking at the Jets’ current roster entering 2026 compared to last year, one major difference sticks out.
After relying heavily on unproven commodities across the depth chart last year, the Jets have changed course and shifted their focus to established veterans.
The perfect example is the quarterback position. Last year, the Jets took a $40 million gamble on Justin Fields, who had shown glimpses of hope throughout four years in the league, but nothing sustainable. As expected, that experiment failed, and he was benched after nine games before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in March.
This season, the Jets have adjusted their approach and taken the more “proven” guy in Geno Smith. Is he a perfect player? Absolutely not; he is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in interceptions. However, at the very least, he raises the overall floor of this offense.
Unlike Fields, we have seen Smith produce a sustainable level of play before. From 2022-24 with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith delivered three strong seasons, earning Pro Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The question is whether Smith can revert to the form he had with the Seahawks. For several reasons, it seems plausible, including the fact that he was named the NFL’s unluckiest quarterback of 2025 based on unearned interceptions.
At wide receiver, while the Jets aren’t necessarily taking the veteran route, they made it a priority to add a clear-cut WR2 behind Wilson, something they seriously lacked last season. In the NFL draft, they selected Omar Cooper Jr. of Indiana in the first round, who is expected to step in and be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver.
They also selected Kenyon Sadiq in the first round, a tight end who has significant experience as a big-bodied slot option. Overall, the Jets’ passing attack should be significantly improved this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, the improvement is even more stark.
Across the defensive line, the team signed Kingsley Enagbare, Joseph Ossai, and David Onyemata, all of whom have established their strengths and weaknesses in the NFL and project as strong rotational contributors at the very least.
In the linebacker room, after Jamien Sherwood’s rough 2025 season, the team reunited with Demario Davis, who remains one of the league’s best overall linebackers at 37 years old. Instead of gambling on one of the younger, less-established pieces in the room like Mykal Walker or Kiko Mauigoa to step up, Gang Green was proactive and brought in one of the best at the position, who is also a leader.
Above all, the secondary sticks out. The additions of Nahshon Wright and D’Angelo Ponds, coupled with AZ Thomas entering his second NFL season, give the Jets’ back end security, which they lacked last season.
Overall, the Jets’ roster feels a lot more established going into 2026 than it did a year ago.
