Offensive coordinator Frank Reich was one of the biggest question marks entering the 2026 season for the New York Jets.

In the eyes of many, he was an uninspiring hire. The 64-year-old was fired in-season from both of his previous NFL stops, including 2022 as the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach and 2023 as the Carolina Panthers’ HC.

He then took a year away from football before spending 2025 at Stanford University. Now, he is back in the NFL with the Jets.

While it’s just Week 1, the early returns on Reich’s offensive play-calling are highly encouraging, as he played a crucial role in the team’s 23-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Reich’s play-calling approach

The Jets were in the driver’s seat for the majority of Sunday’s outing. They had possession for a whopping 38:46, compared to Tennessee’s 21:14.

Right off the bat, Reich made one thing clear: the Jets were going to run the football. New York finished the game with 39 rushing attempts compared to just 24 passes, with Breece Hall leading the way, posting 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Braelon Allen also chipped in 40 yards on 10 attempts.

The Jets’ commitment to the run was especially evident in the second quarter. On one second-quarter drive, the Jets had a 19-play, 74-yard possession that chewed 11:48 off the clock before settling for a 33-yard field goal. Of the 19 plays, 15 were designed runs.

Tennessee’s defense showed no signs of being able to stop New York’s run game throughout the afternoon, so it was encouraging to see Reich keep using it. He found something that worked and stuck with it.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Reich’s Jets debut, though, was his personnel usage.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets used three plays out of 13 personnel (one RB and three TEs) on their opening drive alone. That’s as many times as the team used 13 personnel for the entire 2025 season. Reich even showed a 14 personnel look on the first drive (four TEs, zero WRs).

The Jets’ uptick in multi-tight end usage is a shift that aligns with modern NFL trends. Many of the league’s best teams in 2025, including the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams, were among the leaders in using 12 personnel (one RB and two TEs) and 13 personnel.

With four tight ends on the roster (two being top-50 picks over the last two years) and a converted fullback in Andrew Beck, Reich has the personnel to present defenses with heavy formations. Going into the year, the Jets’ roster decisions—drafting Kenyon Sadiq in the first round along with keeping a fourth tight end and a fullback—suggested that they planned to use 12 and 13 personnel at a very high rate this season, and that was the case in Week 1.

What makes those packages dangerous is that, due to the accuracy and pocket-passing ability of Geno Smith, defenses cannot fixate on the run game just because the Jets come out in a heavy look. The play-action pass is a dangerous weapon, especially with two capable receiving tight ends in Sadiq and Mason Taylor. That forces the defense to think about a multitude of possibilities.

On Sunday, the Jets still punished Tennessee through the air, even with an emphasis on running the ball and deploying heavy personnel packages.

During their first touchdown drive of the second half, Smith connected with Garrett Wilson for 31 yards. Two plays later, Smith dropped a beautiful deep ball into the hands of Adonai Mitchell for another 40 yards. Hall capped off the drive with a touchdown run.

Throughout the game, the Jets used the threat of their run game to set up the pass game. Smith completed 7 of 9 attempts for 72 yards when using play action. His 34.6% play-action rate ranked eighth highest among 30 quarterbacks in Week 1 (pre-Monday Night Football).

One of the biggest takeaways from this game is that the Jets’ offense proved it can be complementary. Smith doesn’t need to drop back 40-plus times a week for the Jets to win games. In fact, on Sunday, he had just 24 pass attempts and was highly efficient.

While Reich’s first outing as the Jets’ OC gave fans a lot to like, time will tell how competent he really is.

Although Reich has years of play-calling experience, Week 1 with a new team is always an advantage. The opposition doesn’t know what’s in the works. Think back to last year, when the Jets’ offense was in the same situation and dominated against the Pittsburgh Steelers before finishing as one of the league’s worst units.

Reich still has to prove what he can do now that opponents have film on his version of the Jets’ offense. In the meantime, the very early returns on Reich should be music to the ears of Jets fans.