With a young roster that underwent a major overhaul this offseason, the New York Jets are poised to host heated battles at nearly every position in training camp.
Here is how we see each of those battles playing out.
Wide receiver
Besides Garrett Wilson being the Jets’ WR1, everything is up for grabs in the wide receiver room.
Adonai Mitchell, Omar Cooper Jr., Arian Smith, and Tim Patrick are the top four players who will compete for the highest possible standing on the depth chart. Each comes to the table with a completely different background.
Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick, is looking to build on two seasons of elite separation metrics that have not translated into production. His film shows a much better player than his box-score stats let on. That second-round upside is still in there.
Cooper is a rookie first-round pick who hopes to make an immediate impact with his speed and YAC skills.
Smith was a 2025 fourth-round pick on the basis of his elite deep speed, but he failed to make any sort of impact on offense during his rookie season, despite getting plenty of snaps in an injury-riddled room. However, his separation was better than many fans likely realized from watching on the broadcast view.
Patrick is the lone veteran in the competition. His best days are well behind him at 32 years old, with multiple severe injuries, but he did score three touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, so he could offer a higher floor than some of the younger receivers if they fail to develop as hoped.
Altogether, Mitchell’s two-season body of work with elite separation metrics should make him the favorite to earn the second spot. Cooper will settle into the third spot as he develops his all-around game, but the Jets will manufacture plenty of touches for their first-rounder.
Patrick lands in the fourth spot as a veteran fallback option, while Smith focuses on special teams in the final spot.
- Prediction: 2. Adonai Mitchell, 3. Omar Cooper Jr., 4. Tim Patrick, 5. Arian Smith
Running back
Breece Hall will run the show. Behind him, the Jets chose not to make any significant additions this offseason. They will focus on evaluating the Year 3 progress of two Day 3 picks from the 2024 draft, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.
Allen began each of the last two seasons above Davis on the depth chart, but I foresee that changing this year. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich has a history of prioritizing his running backs in the passing game, and Davis has a noticeable edge over Allen in that department.
In his career, Davis has produced 261 receiving yards on 40 targets, an average of 6.5 yards per target, compared to Allen’s 165 yards on 30 targets, an inferior 5.5 yards per target. More importantly, Davis has been credited with just one drop to Allen’s six.
The Jets have also shown far more confidence in Davis’ pass protection, as he has logged over twice as many career pass-blocking snaps as Allen (71 to 33).
All of this is before considering that Davis is averaging 5.6 yards per carry in his career to Allen’s 3.7.
Add in the fact that Allen has bulked up to 250 pounds this offseason, and Allen projects as a far more one-dimensional player than Davis. I foresee the Jets tabbing Davis as their RB2 while Allen settles into a specialized short-yardage role.
Prediction: 2. Isaiah Davis, 3. Braelon Allen
Tight end
Big moves weren’t expected from the Jets at tight end, as 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor had a promising rookie year, while the team extended TE2 Jeremy Ruckert.
The surprising addition of first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq shakes things up.
Despite the premium investment in Sadiq, it makes more sense to expect Taylor to begin the season as the Jets’ primary tight end. Taylor offers a more traditional all-around skill set than Sadiq, who projects more as a big slot than a typical Y tight end.
With Sadiq needing development in his route-running and in-line blocking, Taylor should be viewed as the favorite to lead the Jets’ tight ends in snaps. That could change if Sadiq shows up to camp looking far more polished than expected, but Taylor’s rookie year already showed that he has the stuff of a starting tight end.
I would expect Sadiq to be brought along relatively slowly for a 16th overall pick, while Taylor holds the fort down in the TE1 spot.
- Prediction: 1. Mason Taylor, 2. Kenyon Sadiq, 3. Jeremy Ruckert
Quarterback
Geno Smith has already been handed the keys, but the Jets have three quarterbacks jockeying for position behind him.
Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik is a lock to make the roster. The question is whether the Jets will trust him enough as a backup to carry just two quarterbacks, or if they will deal with carrying three quarterbacks to keep a trustier backup over Klubnik.
Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe are the other quarterbacks in the room. It’s hardly an inspiring battle, as both players have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in the NFL. Considering that it’s 2026, not 1976, that’s pretty ugly.
Ultimately, as much as the Jets would love for Klubnik to shine and seize the backup spot, it is fair to expect that a fourth-round rookie will not prove worthy of being an NFL QB2 after one summer. For that reason, I see the Jets keeping the more experienced of the other two competitors, Zappe, as their backup quarterback.
- Prediction: 2. Bailey Zappe, 3. Cade Klubnik, PS. Brady Cook
Backup IOL
As things stand, the Jets’ starting offensive line is set.
It also seems fairly clear that Max Mitchell and Chukwuma Okorafor will make the roster as the backup tackles.
However, the Jets have a crisis with their backup interior offensive line.
Xavier Newman, sixth-round rookie Anez Cooper, Marquis Hayes, Kohl Levao, Liam Fornadel, and undrafted rookie Xavier Hill comprise the Jets’ backup interior unit. These players have combined for five NFL starts, all by Newman, who struggled mightily in those appearances.
This picture is so bleak that I believe the Jets will ultimately add someone to this group, whether it’s a free agent, a post-cutdown waiver pickup, or a late trade similar to the ones they made for Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs last year.
Cooper is a lock to make the team as a sixth-round pick. It is also worth noting that Mitchell has the flexibility to kick inside and play guard. What the Jets need is a reliable backup-level player who can be trusted to start at center, perhaps with the flexibility to play guard as well.
I don’t believe Darren Mougey is naive enough to view the current group as acceptable. Someone will be added.
- Prediction: Anez Cooper, TBD Addition
Cornerback
It’s open season in the Jets’ cornerback room. Every spot is up for grabs.
Perhaps it can be said that Brandon Stephens is a near-lock to retain his starting spot on the outside, but after a season in which he allowed eight touchdowns and recorded no interceptions, I don’t think the Jets would force him into the lineup if two other outside corners clearly outplay him in the summer.
Free agent Nahshon Wright, a boom-or-bust ball hawk, will compete against lengthy second-year man Azareye’h Thomas, a third-round pick who showed promise in limited action before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Most likely, the Jets will select two players out of Stephens, Wright, and Thomas to start on the outside.
Second-round rookie D’Angelo Ponds was a fantastic outside corner in college, but his 5-foot-8 frame suggests he will move to the slot, at least to start his career. There, he will compete against Jarvis Brownlee Jr., a tenacious tackler and run defender who has issues with penalties and man coverage.
I think the Jets clearly like Stephens enough to hand him his starting spot back. That leaves Wright and Thomas battling for the other spot, a duel that I believe Thomas will win thanks to his youth and upside; Wright is too inconsistent in coverage to earn a starting role.
In the slot, Ponds shouldn’t have an issue beating out Brownlee.
- Prediction: 1. Brandon Stephens, 2. Azareye’h Thomas, 3 (Slot). D’Angelo Ponds, 4. Nahshon Wright, 5 (Backup Slot). Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
Edge
The main variable in the edge unit this summer is whether David Bailey shows enough chops as a run defender to earn the top spot on the depth chart. If Bailey earns the Jets’ trust in the run game, they won’t hesitate to give him a featured role.
I think there are too many run-stopping concerns on Bailey’s college film to believe he will immediately fix them in the NFL. With that said, I still see the Jets tabbing Bailey as their top edge rusher thanks to his pass-rush upside, but the top four players in the unit might be closer in snaps than some fans expect.
Joseph Ossai may also out-snap Will McDonald thanks to his more balanced two-way game, although McDonald will remain a fixture in the pass rush.
- Prediction: 1. David Bailey, 2. Joseph Ossai, 3. Will McDonald, 4. Kingsley Enagbare
Defensive tackle
The Jets have a deep group of veterans who will vie for playing time on the interior.
Jowon Briggs should have no problem earning the top spot, as he boasts the most pass-rush talent by a longshot, coupled with quality run defense. The starting spot next to him, though, could be won by a few players.
T’Vondre Sweat should be considered the favorite to win it. He’s far younger than his competitiors, has already stopped the run at a dominant level in his first two NFL seasons, and has more pass-rush chops than veterans David Onyemata and Harrison Phillips at this stage of their careers.
Onyemata has a bit more pass-rush juice than Phillips, who has little to none, which should make Onyemata the third option.
Phillips still demands a role, though, thanks to his excellent run defense. Meanwhile, fourth-round rookie Darrell Jackson Jr. will develop in the background, while getting occasional reps as a big end.
- Prediction: 1. Jowon Briggs, 2. T’Vondre Sweat, 3. David Onyemata, 4. Harrison Phillips, 5. Darrell Jackson Jr.
Safety
Minkah Fitzpatrick will be an every-down starter and the anchor of the Jets’ secondary. Three players will compete to start beside him: Malachi Moore, Dane Belton, and Andre Cisco.
Moore showed promise as a fourth-round rookie in 2025, although he certainly had plenty of warts to work on, particularly in coverage. Belton, a free agent pickup from the Giants, is a great tackler with a nose for the ball, but he is limited in coverage. Cisco is an experienced starter in the deep safety role, but that is the role Fitzpatrick is expected to play, and Cisco struggled at that spot last year, anyway.
Cisco seems poised to be the primary backup to Fitzpatrick, leaving Moore and Belton to compete. I would expect the Jets to lean toward the expected ascension of the younger Moore, the player drafted by Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey.
- Prediction: FS1. Minkah Fitzpatrick, FS2. Andre Cisco, SS1. Malachi Moore, SS2. Dane Belton
Linebacker
Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood will hold down the Jets’ every-down roles at off-ball linebacker, but there is an open competition for the third spot. This player will not only be the primary backup at the position, but he will also be tasked with joining David and Sherwood as the third linebacker on the field in base packages.
The primary competitors are Francisco Mauigoa, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, and Mykal Walker.
Mauigoa was a fifth-round pick last year. He is an excellent athlete, but struggled with fundamentals across 12 games (8 starts) in his rookie year, especially in coverage.
McCrary-Ball has spent the last three seasons with the Jets, mainly playing on special teams. As a defensive player, he has performed woefully.
Many fans will lean toward Mauigoa because of his athleticism and draft status, but the favorite may actually be the 28-year-old Walker. He was called upon late in the 2025 season after injuries piled up, and he quietly played some of the soundest football of any Jets defender all season.
From Weeks 14-18, Walker’s 80.4 overall grade at Pro Football Focus ranked 10th-best among linebackers with at least 100 snaps. He missed zero tackles over this span, while allowing just three receptions for 24 yards and no touchdowns in coverage.
Perhaps it is a bold prediction, but I expect Walker to win the third spot, while Mauigoa settles into a special teams role as the LB4. McCrary-Ball will be released.
- Prediction: 3. Mykal Walker, 4. Francisco Mauigoa
Kicker
After allowing Nick Folk to walk in free agency, the Jets are rolling the dice on two risky options at kicker, Cade York and Jason Sanders.
York has made just 73.3% of his career field goal attempts across 23 games. He’s only 25 years old and has a fourth-round pedigree, but he is already on his eighth NFL stop in five seasons, which says a lot.
Sanders is the high-risk, high-reward option. A former first-team All-Pro in 2020, Sanders has displayed some high peaks; he hit a 90% field goal percentage in three of his first seven NFL seasons. As recently as 2024, he made 90.2% of his kicks, including a tremendous 12-of-14 from 50+ yards.
However, Sanders is coming off a hip injury that cost him the entire 2025 season, so there is no telling what he might look like. Even before the injury, Sanders had a low floor, as he made under 77% of his field goals in two separate seasons.
Despite the questions surrounding Sanders, he still seems like the clear-cut favorite to win this job. York has yet to show any semblance of competency in the NFL. Sanders has reached elite heights. Even coming off a major injury, he seems like the safer bet.
Prediction: Jason Sanders
