The New York Jets’ elite special teams play was a top storyline from their pitiful 2025 season. Here at Jets X-Factor, though, we broke down in the offseason why special teams success has been difficult to sustain in the NFL.

In line with the erratic nature of special teams play, the unit got off to a surprisingly rough start over the first few weeks of 2026. Not only did they not look as dominant as last year, but they ranked near the bottom of the league.

Now, five games into the season, concerns about the unit’s struggles might be a little overblown.

Let’s see where the Jets sit in each notable special teams facet, using DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) from FTN Fantasy, one of the top metrics for measuring special teams play.

Field goals/extra points: 15th (+0.5)

Despite letting Nick Folk walk in the offseason, which was a highly controversial decision at the time, Jason Sanders has settled in nicely for the team.

Sanders has drilled eight of his nine field goal attempts (88.9%), including three of four tries from 50+ yards (75%), and seven of his eight extra points (87.5%). His 88.9% FG conversion rate ranks 13th in the league.

Meanwhile, Folk has struggled with the Atlanta Falcons. After leading the league in field goal percentage from 2023-25, he has gone nine of 12 on his FG attempts this season (75%), tied for 24th.

Overall, Sanders has been around league-average for the Jets, which exceeds expectations that many fans had after the team went through a late-summer kicking carousel. The most interesting nugget, though, is that the Jets’ decision to pass on Folk is panning out so far.

Kick returns: 12th (+0.9)

The Jets have also been slightly above average on kickoff returns this season, per DVOA. That’s a notable step back, though, from last year’s top-ranked kick return unit (+16.7 DVOA), when they led the league with an average of 29.9 yards per kick return. So far this year, that mark sits at 25.1, ranking 22nd.

To be fair, Kene Nwangwu missed the Jets’ first three games due to injury. Given that their top returner has only played two games, ranking 12th is respectable.

The Jets haven’t had a huge return yet; their longest kick return so far is 36 yards. Compared to last year, when the Jets consistently burst off on huge plays, the kick return unit has noticeably declined so far. However, it has not been a liability, according to DVOA.

Kickoffs: 12th (+1.6)

The kickoff unit was not a major strength for the Jets’ special teams in 2025, ranking 14th with a +0.7 DVOA, and it has performed similarly in 2026 so far.

There isn’t much to write home about with this group; it isn’t outstanding nor atrocious. Currently, they rank 14th with 25.1 yards allowed per kick return, slightly below the league average of 26.0.

Punting: 24th (-1.2)

This is where things start to go downhill for the Jets.

It’s funny, because if you asked me before the season started which special teams group I would be least concerned about, my answer would have been punting. Through five games, though, the Jets rank 24th in punting DVOA (-1.2), a steep drop from last year’s No. 1 ranking (+15.5).

Punter Austin McNamara has regressed from his excellent season last year. After being one of the NFL’s top punters in 2025, he now ranks 24th among 33 qualified punters (minimum 10 attempts) in net yards per attempt (40.3) and 13th in average hangtime (4.39 seconds). Last year, he ranked eighth (43.2) and second (4.70), respectively.

Keep in mind that punting DVOA accounts for punt coverage, too, so it isn’t all on McNamara, but he has certainly played a role in the low ranking. On the other hand, his punt coverage hasn’t helped much, allowing 14.1 yards per return, the fourth-most in the league right now. But you could also argue that his decreasing hang time isn’t giving the group enough time to get downfield and make a play.

There are multiple factors involved, but the Jets’ punt unit hasn’t been great this season.

Punt returns: 30th (-2.7)

The Jets’ punt return numbers are even worse, ranking 30th in punt-return DVOA, the worst mark among the five categories we are breaking down. It’s another massive drop, as the Jets ranked fourth last year (+10.1).

Isaiah Williams just hasn’t had that same explosiveness he had a year ago, when he was one of the league’s top returners. While he’s taken on more of an offensive role, his special-teams production has declined.

Williams’ 10.9 yards per return ranks 16th among 39 qualified returners, which isn’t bad, but he has also muffed two punts, both coming in Week 2 (with the Jets recovering both), the most among returners this year. DVOA charges teams for muffed or fumbled returns regardless of which team recovers them, so those are a big reason why the Jets rank this low.

The Jets have struggled to generate positive value on punt returns. That does not all fall on Williams, though, as the blocking needs to improve, too.

Nevertheless, Williams has looked like a completely different player than he did last year.

Where do the Jets stand overall?

New York currently ranks 16th in overall special teams DVOA this season at -0.5%, putting them smack in the middle of the NFL.

The Jets rank 12th on kickoffs, 12th on kick returns, and 15th on field goals and extra points; these units have been solid, albeit unspectacular. However, punting (24th) and punt returns (30th) have held the unit back.

Altogether, the Jets even out as a league-average special teams unit. Obviously, that can be disappointing, as fans want the Jets’ special teams group to be as much of a difference-maker and game-wrecker as it was a year ago. The reality, though, is that maintaining an elite level of special teams success from year to year is very difficult in the NFL.

If the Jets can get closer to league average on both sides of the punting game, the outlook will be more encouraging. That would put the Jets on track to field an above-average special teams unit if they maintain their success in other areas, which would be perfectly acceptable.

The good news is that unlike last season, the Jets have many more calling cards than just their special teams. For now, it remains unknown whether the Jets can get back to that level, but league-average play should be just fine, as long as they don’t make costly mistakes.