There are two types of New York Jets fans: those who see the glass half-full of green Kool-Aid, and those who see it half-empty.
For the Jets fans who are clinging to hope that 2026 will be the year when the franchise’s excruciating playoff drought finally concludes, here are three common optimistic takes that have been supported by the events of the preseason.
Adonai Mitchell’s impending breakout
Adonai Mitchell was a touted prospect coming out of Texas. The Indianapolis Colts chose him 52nd overall in the second round of the 2024 draft.
What followed was a season-and-a-half of things simply not clicking for him in Indy’s offense. By midway through his second campaign, Mitchell had caught just 32 of 71 targets (45.1%) for 464 yards and no touchdowns in 25 games.
Shortly after being tossed in the doghouse for a bone-headed, unforced goal-line fumble, Mitchell was included in the Colts’ blockbuster trade for Sauce Gardner. While some viewed him as a throw-in alongside two first-round picks, there are plenty of devout believers in Mitchell’s potential who foresee the Jets getting the second-round talent that the Colts thought they would.
Mitchell’s potential isn’t just a hypothetical projection based on physical traits and pre-draft hype. He’s shown it on the field.
From 2024 to 2025, Mitchell recorded an “open score” of 80 (out of a maximum of 100), per ESPN Analytics, which is a metric intended to quantify a receiver’s ability to create separation. It ranked eighth-best among all wide receivers over that span. Players ahead of him included Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, and Tyreek Hill.
That number backs up what the film showed through Mitchell’s first two seasons: He constantly got open for potential deep touchdowns, but was either not targeted or given an uncatchable pass. Between Indy and New York, Mitchell dealt with a carousel of poor quarterbacks, from Anthony Richardson to Brady Cook.
Entering 2026, there are legitimate reasons to believe that Mitchell could still have a strong NFL career ahead of him. So far, the events of training camp and the preseason have supported the idea that Mitchell might be on his way to fulfilling his second-round potential.
Mitchell and quarterback Geno Smith have shown a strong rapport throughout training camp, frequently connecting on deep passes. Even in the team’s latest practice, Mitchell and Smith hooked up for another bomb.
This has translated to the preseason. On one drive with Smith, Mitchell was targeted twice and caught both passes for 29 yards, each one coming after a smooth route to create separation.
Predicting a breakout year for Mitchell no longer feels like wishful thinking from hope-starved Jets fans. There is ample evidence suggesting it may be on the horizon.
The offensive line is ready to ascend
Between offense and defense, the Jets’ best position group in 2025 was easily the offensive line. It played around league average, which was the best output by a Jets O-line in years and far ahead of the bottom-of-the-barrel performance from most other units on the team.
The league-average baseline established by the unit in 2025 created a high ceiling moving forward. With plenty of young talent on the rise, and considering that the league-average play occurred despite awful quarterbacking, there is plenty of room for ascension in 2026.
So far, fans hoping to see top-10 offensive line play have been given no reasons to stop believing.
It’s a tiny sample size against backups, but the first-team offensive line has been nearly pristine in the preseason. Across two drives (21 snaps), the Jets’ five starters have combined to commit zero penalties while allowing zero sacks and one total pressure on 70 combined pass-blocking snaps.
While it might be a little too soon to commission the sculpting of a five-man statue, things seem to be going according to plan for this high-upside group.
The secondary is bound for a massive leap
New York put in a substantial effort to overhaul a secondary that picked off zero passes and allowed the third-highest passer rating in NFL history (110.9).
From free agency (Dane Belton) to trades (Minkah Fitzpatrick) to the draft (D’Angelo Ponds), this secondary is loaded with talented new faces.
On top of that, the Jets have also revamped the coaching staff overseeing the secondary. Head coach Aaron Glenn has taken over defensive play-calling, while Brian Duker has replaced Steve Wilks as the defensive coordinator. Defensive backs coach and pass-game coordinator Chris Harris has returned, but the Jets added a new face to the room in nickels coach Ronald Booker.
With a new scheme, new faces on the field, and new voices providing instruction, the Jets’ secondary play has looked completely different to begin the 2026 preseason.
Through two weeks, the Jets are one of only two teams whose defensive backs have yet to commit a penalty, joining the Minnesota Vikings, who are led by highly respected DC Brian Flores.
Sure, it’s only preseason, but this represents significant improvement compared to last year’s preseason, which turned out to be a sign of things to come for this unit. Across all three preseason games in 2025, the Jets’ defensive backs combined for six penalties.
What really stands out about the pass-defense transformation is that it has permeated throughout the entire depth chart, top to bottom.
New York has seen six different players record at least one pass breakup, tying them with Chicago and the L.A. Rams for the third-most players in the league, trailing only Pittsburgh (7) and the L.A. Chargers (9).
That’s the type of company you want to keep in this category. Each of those four teams finished in the top 10 in interceptions during the 2025 regular season.
For all of you Jets fans expecting to see a major turnaround from the secondary, there are plenty of green flags to hang your hats on.
