In five games this season, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been a pleasant surprise.

Above all, his accuracy stands out, as he ranks third among starters in completion rate this season (69.4%). That’s a level of consistency that Jets fans haven’t seen at QB in quite some time, even over a five-game stretch.

Now what if I told you there is even more to unlock with Smith? Sure, his production has been solid, but the Jets seem to have multiple ways to take Smith to a new level.

Create more deep opportunites

One key component of Geno Smith’s success with the Seattle Seahawks from 2022-24 was his deep game. Over that span, Smith was one of the NFL’s most consistent deep passers.

Just like most of his play, that area fell off with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. However, Smith’s deep game seems to have been revived this year.

Among 37 qualified quarterbacks this season (minimum five 20+ yard attempts), Smith ranks second in completion percentage (66.7%) and passer rating (149.3). He’s also thrown three of his six touchdowns on deep attempts this year, tied for the third-most deep touchdowns in the league.

Despite that success, he ranks just 24th in deep attempts (12), averaging just 2.4 per game. For a quarterback having that much success as a deep passer, it’s on offensive coordinator Frank Reich to give him more opportunities in that part of the field.

This isn’t a random hot streak or something new. When he was with Seattle, he was one of the best deep passers in football. Even this season alone, there are clear signs that Smith can sling the ball at a high level. Why isn’t Reich capitalizing on it more often? It’s very puzzling.

Perhaps there is an argument, in Reich’s defense, that Adonai Mitchell, the Jets’ top deep threat, has been out for three weeks with a finger injury, limiting the team’s ability to create deep targets. However, the Jets can make up for it by getting Garrett Wilson more involved in that facet. Missing Mitchell isn’t a good enough excuse for the Jets’ lack of deep attempts this season, especially given Smith’s high-level play when he is put in those situations.

The play-action numbers are also questionable

Deep passing isn’t the only area where Smith’s production and Reich’s schematic tendencies don’t seem to align this season. Look at the Jets’ play-action this season, especially Smith’s output.

So far, the Jets have run play-action on just 20.7% of their passing plays, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. Despite that, though, Smith has posted a 55.6% success rate on play-action looks, the sixth-highest among qualified QBs.

Once again, play-action is another area where Smith has been effective this year, yet the Jets rank in the bottom third of the league in frequency. A pattern is really starting to emerge: the disconnect between Smith and Reich.

This is not a matter of Reich needing to completely change his offense. However, it is fair to question his adaptability. The trends aren’t very promising. Much of a modern-day NFL offensive coordinator’s job is to recognize what his guys do best, especially the quarterback, and find ways to maximize those strengths.

Yes, Smith is playing well right now, but there is a lot left to unlock, and the unrealized potential falls on Reich.

Reich needs to be more aggressive

There is no reason the Jets shouldn’t be throwing the ball more often. While they’ve found most of their success in the passing game, they rank just 20th in pass rate over expected (-0.9%).

That’s not a crazy low number; however, given the Jets’ offensive production and Smith’s, Reich should be giving him more opportunities than average, not less.

The Jets’ rushing attack hasn’t stood out so far, and while Smith hasn’t been perfect either, there have been encouraging enough signs to suggest he deserves more opportunities.

Look at his Week 3 outing against the Detroit Lions. On 37 passing attempts, he completed 31 passes (83.7%) for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

Altogether, though, he has shown enough to warrant more chances. This isn’t a matter of Reich shifting his offensive philosophy; he just needs to do a better job of giving Smith more chances to do what he does best. That’s where the main concern lies with the 64-year-old.

The offensive coordinator also deserves credit for Smith’s bounce-back year so far. Smith has been playing much better football than he did a year ago, and Reich should get some praise for that. However, as we’ve broken down in this piece, there seems to be a lot left on the table that Reich could tap into.

At 2-3, the Jets are very much alive, but they won’t be in that conversation much longer if they keep averaging less than 19 points per game. The offense needs a baseline of consistency, and optimizing Smith’s workload could accomplish that.

Saying Reich has failed at his job this year would be very harsh, but there is certainly plenty of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to adaptability.