Any NFL player is capable of having one good preseason game. With vanilla schemes and microscopic snap counts, it doesn’t take much to win headlines in August—and it also doesn’t mean much.

If a player starts building a noticeable pattern, though, there could be smoke to the fire.

Here are three Jets standouts from the preseason opener who can make a statement if they chain together a second consecutive standout performance in Friday night’s game against Pittsburgh (7 p.m. EST).

RB Braelon Allen

Projected RB2 Braelon Allen made the most of his limited playing time in the Jets’ preseason opener.

The third-year man rushed four times for 44 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.3 yards after contact per carry. His 31-yard touchdown run was impressive, showing off remarkable change-of-direction quickness for a back who touted his bulk-up to 250 pounds earlier this summer.

Still, it was just one run in the preseason, against backups, no less. That run was 11 yards longer than any play that Allen has recorded across 21 career regular-season games. It wasn’t enough on its own to prove that Allen is due for a breakout year in which his production finally matches his gaudy measurables.

But if Allen comes out on Friday night and breaks loose for another fantastic run in which he displays a remarkable blend of size and athleticism, there will be a little more credence to the idea that he might finally be turning a corner.

With Breece Hall sidelined for 2-3 weeks with a groin injury, Allen will play with the Jets’ starters in Pittsburgh. It’s a chance for him to show that he can work in lockstep with New York’s first-team offensive linemen.

CB Azareye’h Thomas

Azareye’h Thomas is competing with Nahshon Wright for the Jets’ starting outside cornerback job opposite Brandon Stephens, but based on the preseason opener, Thomas is gaining a leg up.

The 2025 third-round pick started with the Jets’ first-team defense and performed admirably in his limited stint on the field. Thomas was targeted once and completely locked down his man in press coverage on a vertical route.

Wright, meanwhile, did not play due to a hip injury.

The Jets have high hopes for Thomas, who only just turned 22 in July. Some scouts and analysts had him pegged as a first-round talent early in the 2025 draft cycle, until a 4.58 forty time crushed his stock.

Despite his lack of long speed, Thomas has shown throughout training camp that he can win with his size (6-foot-1½), length (32⅜-inch arms), and physicality. He displayed all of those traits during his lockdown rep last Friday night, and if he can do it again in Pittsburgh, the Jets should be able to seal their starting cornerback decision before the final preseason contest.

G Anez Cooper

In the Jets’ preseason opener, rookie guard Anez Cooper was not only New York’s best offensive player, but he was one of the most impressive guards in the NFL.

The sixth-round pick displayed the pass-blocking skills he was known for at Miami, while also plowing some big holes in the run game. He looked the part of a player who might be ready to be counted on as a league-average backup guard in Year 1, which would be a significant coup for the Jets.

Across 28 offensive snaps, Cooper was remarkably consistent from down to down, which is precisely what you want to see when projecting the long-term play of an offensive lineman, rather than a few flashy high points. Consistency is the name of the game at this position.

At the end of the day, though, it was just one preseason game, with all of his reps coming against Tampa Bay’s second-half squad. Cooper could easily go out there on Friday night and struggle, bringing his stock right back down to normal for a sixth-round rookie guard.

But if Cooper has another game in which he looks consistently sound in both phases, we will be one step closer to taking him seriously as a potential gem for New York.