New York Jets fans could always count on Robert Saleh to butter up the opposing team on game week.

That still applies now that Saleh is on the other sideline.

Heading into a Week 1 matchup against the team that fired him mid-season two years ago, the Tennessee Titans’ head coach spoke glowingly about the Jets’ offensive outlook in 2026.

“I would not be surprised if [the Jets offense] finishes in the top half of the league,” said Saleh of the Jets’ offense.

A top-16 offensive finish would be quite the achievement for New York. Last season, the Jets ranked 29th in total yards per game (263.6), 29th in points per game (17.6), and 30th in offensive DVOA (-27.1%).

In fact, it wouldn’t just be a monumental leap for the Jets compared to the 2025 season. It would be a meteoric achievement for the franchise as a whole.

Forget about “top half” for a moment —the Jets have not even ranked top-20 in any of total yards per game, points per game, or offensive DVOA since the 2015 season, when they were 10th in total offense, 11th in scoring, and 16th in offensive DVOA.

The Jets made plenty of moves in the offseason to anchor a pursuit for the top 16 in those categories. Quarterback Geno Smith, first-round pass catchers Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr., and underrated left guard Dylan Parham highlight the team’s offensive pickups. They also hired a new offensive coordinator, Frank Reich.

New York’s revamped offense will get its first chance to show whether it can be a top-half unit on Sunday when it faces off against Saleh’s overhauled Titans defense, which features many former Jets defenders.

Tennessee’s defense does not have the highest of expectations, with ESPN’s Mike Clay ranking the unit 28th in his 2026 defensive projections. So, the Jets won’t exactly prove themselves as a budding offensive juggernaut if they run up the score in Nashville.

If the Jets’ offense struggles, however, it would be an alarming sign regarding their chances of reaching Saleh’s lofty projection.

Smith and the Jets will begin the quest for their first above-average offensive season in 11 years on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST (CBS).