The 2026 NFL regular season is closing in, and the New York Jets are beginning to be shrouded in… optimism, dare we say?
The team’s starting offense, led by new quarterback Geno Smith, looked pristine in its recent preseason outing. To boot, the defense is allergic to committing penalties, training camp has featured many promising flashes from the right players, and the drama around the team is at its lowest in quite some time.
Now, even the national media is beginning to view the Jets in a positive light.
ESPN analyst Mike Clay recently ranked the Jets’ linebacker unit as the best in the NFL entering 2026. Additionally, Clay ranked the Jets’ wide receiver unit as the eighth-best in the league, a surprising placement for a team that did not have a 400-yard receiver last year.
Clearly, this ranking is a strong vote of confidence in Garrett Wilson’s raw talent. Wilson’s career numbers do not quite put him among the NFL’s elite ranks at the position, but the eye test shows a player who could easily be one of the league’s most productive pass-catchers if he ever receives competent quarterbacking, which the Jets believe Smith will give him.
It may also be a bet on the potential projected WR2 Adonai Mitchell, a 2024 second-round pick who is still only 23 years old.
Mitchell has built an impressive connection with Smith throughout training camp and the preseason. His ceiling is high, as shown by his fantastic separation metrics over his first two years in the NFL. So far, it appears that Smith may be the right quarterback to tap into the potential bestowed by Mitchell’s separation.
The Jets also have rookie first-round pick Omar Cooper Jr., who appears to be working his way toward winning the team’s starting slot receiver position. Cooper was one of the most elusive and physical wideouts in college football last season.
Beyond that, the Jets’ depth has question marks, but punt returner/slot receiver Isaiah Williams is an intriguing prospect. The 25-year-old former UDFA was a roster lock thanks to his Team MVP-winning efforts as a returner in 2025, but he has been pushing Cooper for first-team slot reps, a byproduct of the many acrobatic downfield catches he has made throughout training camp.
New York also has veteran Tim Patrick to round out the unit, who is a reliable piece as the fourth or fifth option. Patrick has scored three touchdowns as a complementary weapon in each of the past two seasons, and is a big-bodied blocker at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds.
Most Jets fans can admit that a top-eight ranking for this unit is a bit ambitious at this juncture. Mitchell, Cooper, and Williams are unproven. Still, the unit has an unquestionably high ceiling.
