Each NFL quarterback has certain coverages they prefer to face.
For New York Jets QB Geno Smith, he seems to match up better against man coverage compared to zone.
Outside Zone Football Analytics broke down which QBs had the biggest swings in EPA per play in 2025 when facing zone versus man coverage.
According to the post, Smith’s 0.34 EPA per play against man was much better than his 0.05 mark when facing zone coverage. It was one of the biggest swings in the NFL.
Smith’s level of success against man coverage compared to zone also happens to correlate with the Jets’ WR1, Garrett Wilson, who has been dominant against man coverage throughout his four NFL seasons.
Since entering the league in 2022, Wilson’s 1,276 yards against man coverage are the ninth most in the NFL.
It will be intriguing to see how Smith and Wilson build a rapport throughout the season. 2026 has the potential to be a career year for Wilson, especially if Smith is able to play at the level the Jets believe he is capable of.
The 35-year-old profiles as an ideal quarterback to unleash the Ohio State product’s deep game. Throughout Wilson’s career, he hasn’t played with a QB who can throw the deep ball as well as Smith.
This isn’t to say that Smith will be some revitalizing, franchise-changing signal caller. If he is able to come in, steady the ship, and do the simple things well, that’s frankly all you can ask for in a bridge QB being paid less than $4 million.
Even just doing the simple things well would be beyond valuable for a Jets offense that arguably hasn’t enjoyed that since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015.
If Smith can consistently take advantage of man coverage, which he seemed to do last season, it might unleash the best version of Wilson that Jets fans have ever seen.
