What happened to once-proud New York Jets weapon?

For much of the 2025 season, the New York Jets’ special teams was a greater threat to score than the offense.

The Jets scored four special teams touchdowns in 2025, including three from their punt return (2) and kick return (1) units. They had a third punt return touchdown called back by a dubious penalty.

Even beyond their own scores, the return units set up plenty of free points for the offense. Excluding any touchdowns, the kick return unit had three returns into opponent territory, while the punt return unit had three returns that resulted in a net punt of 30 yards or fewer. Overall, the Jets ranked first in yards per kick return (29.9) and sixth in yards per punt return (13.4).

The Jets’ kick return unit became so feared that by the end of the season, teams were willingly kicking touchbacks to avoid giving New York a chance to return the ball, which is a rarity in today’s 35-yard line world. Part of that had to do with the Jets’ offense being completely unintimidating, but it spoke volumes about the return unit that teams would rather gift New York the 35-yard line than let them return a kick.

One year later, this once-proud unit has gone M.I.A., leaving the Jets without the bonus points they could have desperately used to flip any of their four one-score losses.

Not only have the Jets failed to score a return touchdown this season, but they haven’t even recorded a kick return into opponent territory or a punt return that resulted in a net punt of 30 yards or fewer. Essentially, the team hasn’t enjoyed a single field-flipping return.

Last year, the Jets had a total of nine returns that met one of the following criteria:

• Punt return touchdown (2)
• Kick return touchdown (1)
• Kick return stopped in opponent territory (3)
• Punt return resulting in net punt of ≤30 yards (3)

This year, they have zero through seven games.

The total lack of a spark from the return game has been detrimental. Return units are counted on to occasionally give the team a surprise shot in the arm, which can often be the difference in a close game. After all, the Jets lost an overtime game in Week 2 largely because of a massive punt return that they allowed to the Green Bay Packers. Yet, the Jets haven’t been able to produce any of those plays for themselves.

How did the Jets’ return game fall so far in one year?

Well, in terms of the returners themselves, not much has changed. Both of the returners who earned All-Pro votes for the Jets last year, Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu, are back. Williams has taken all of the Jets’ punt returns and 11 of their 24 kick returns, while Nwangwu has taken 11 kick returns of his own. Both players have simply been far less efficient with their opportunities.

Nwangwu has missed four games due to injury, but he hasn’t looked like himself when healthy. He is averaging a career-low 22.8 yards per kick return, nearly seven yards below his previous career average (29.7).

Williams has also declined, with his punt return average dropping from 14.1 to 10.5 and his kick return average dipping from 29.9 to 25.2.

Special teams coordinator Chris Banjo is back, so it isn’t a coaching-change issue.

Perhaps it can be traced to roster turnover. While returners get all of the credit, there are 10 other guys on the field paving the road for them, and each one can be just as instrumental in making or breaking a return as the returner himself.

The Jets’ return units look quite different from last year. Of their top 10 players in kick return snaps last year (excluding Isaiah Williams), five are no longer on the team, while Kiko Mauigoa has been injured for most of the season. Seen below are those top 10 players; players who remain top-10 on the team in kick-return snaps in 2026 are bolded:

1. Andrew Beck (108)
2. Isaiah Davis (91)
3. Mykal Walker (87)
4. Jeremy Ruckert (84)
5. Stone Smartt (77)
6. Isaiah Oliver (69)
7. Cam Jones (65)
8. Qwan’tez Stiggers (63)
9. Kiko Mauigoa (58)
10. Kobe King (54)

It’s a similar deal for the punt return unit, which has seen only three of its top 10 players in punt return snaps remain in the top-10 this year:

• Andrew Beck (63)
• Isaiah Oliver (57)
• Mykal Walker (55)
• Qwan’tez Stiggers (45)
• Stone Smartt (42)
• Dean Clark (35)
• Azareye’h Thomas (32)
• Braiden McGregor (28)
• Kiko Mauigoa (26)
• Kobe King (26)

Most likely, this is the hidden reason why the Jets’ return units have taken such a steep nosedive. The majority of the players who were blocking for those units last year are gone.

Two of the core blockers, Beck and Stiggers, have remained, but two blockers out of 10 cannot do the job on their own. For a return to break loose, the blocking has to be near-perfect across the board. The Jets stumbled their way into a cast of characters who managed to achieve that on a frequent basis last year. Now, that cast has been broken up.

That’s just the nature of the NFL; special teams lineups typically undergo significant changes from year to year since most of the core pieces are back-of-the-roster players. It’s why special teams success is so hard to sustain. You can keep your coach, your kicker, your punter, and your returners for as long as you want, but it goes overlooked how important those 10 hidden special teams guys can be, and unfortunately, the majority of those 10 hidden guys will be playing elsewhere next year.

The Jets caught lightning in a bottle with their special teams unit in 2025. So far in 2026, the magic is gone, and it’s probably because they lost many of the unsung heroes who quietly made the magical moments happen.