When the 2026 regular season began, no shortage of question marks surrounded the New York Jets offense, and coordinator Frank Reich topped that list.

After firing Tanner Engstrand, the Jets brought in one of the most experienced OCs they could have hired, but questions remained about his fit in the modern-day NFL. Reich is 64 years old, and both of his prior two NFL stops ended with in-season firings. He was last on a professional sideline in 2023. Those are valid questions.

How has he fared so far?

Five weeks seems like a fair sample size to evaluate his body of work. Let’s dive deep and take a closer look at what Reich’s offense has shown so far this season.

The overall production

Before we dive into Reich’s particular schematic tendencies this year, let’s establish how the Jets’ offense has actually performed so far.

The Jets are averaging 18.6 points per game, tied for 27th in the NFL, while they rank 26th with 284.0 total yards per game. Beyond that, though, here is where they rank in several key advanced metrics:

  • EPA per play: -0.044 (20th)
  • Offensive DVOA: -11.6% (24th)
  • Success rate: 41.9% (18th)
  • Explosive play rate (passes for 20+ yards or rushes for 10+ yards): 9.1% (17th)
  • Conversion rate (percentage of third or fourth-down plays converted for a first down or touchdown): 39.4% (19th)

A couple of interesting takeaways stand out. First, these numbers matter because they measure snap-to-snap efficiency, unlike broad stats like points per game. Most notably, the Jets rank toward the middle of the league in success rate (18th), explosive play rate (17th), and conversion rate (19th).

However, the Jets are still just 24th in offensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average). Essentially, it indicates that the Jets’ offense has performed well below the league average after adjusting for situations and opponent quality.

Overall, these advanced numbers suggest New York has been a below-average offensive team.

Is Reich’s philosophy outdated?

One of the biggest concerns surrounding Reich’s hiring was whether his offensive philosophy would translate to the modern-day NFL. Since he was last in the NFL, the league has seen many changes and new trends.

The Jets haven’t particularly embraced those modern-day tendencies, to put it mildly.

One of the league’s biggest shifts over the past few years has been the increase in pre-snap motion. Over five weeks, Reich’s offense has utilized motion on just 45.3% of its plays, ranking dead last in the league. For context, the 2025 league average in motion was 63.9%. Reich has motioned at nearly a 20% lower rate than last year’s average. That’s pretty staggering.

Their play-action rate hasn’t been much higher, as the Jets have used play action on just 20.7% of their passing plays this year, which ranks 23rd in the league.

Neither number automatically indicates that Reich is failing in his role. There are multiple motion-heavy offenses struggling, and the same goes for squads utilizing heavy play-action rates.

However, it’s interesting that the Jets are so far behind the rest of the league in two categories that have become increasingly common across modern-day offensive units, particularly when you add in that the team’s offense has been below-average this season.

That is the risk you take by hiring a coach like Reich, who’s been around the league for a long time. In today’s NFL, the “experience” benefit really doesn’t mean much anymore.

Over the years, Reich’s offensive philosophy has typically favored a far more traditional approach with motion. He has never been a motion-heavy play-caller in his career, typically ranking near the bottom of the league in those rates.

What’s interesting about the Jets’ low play-action rate, though, is that they have personnel that fits more PA usage. The team clearly has confidence in their tight end room, with Mason Taylor and first-round rookie Kenyon Sadiq leading the way. They also have versatility, with Sadiq as a more athletic speedster out of the slot and Taylor as more of an in-line blocker.

Now, let’s take a look at Reich’s personnel usage.

The massive difference between 11 and 12 personnel

This is arguably the most interesting aspect of the Jets’ offense under Reich so far. New York has been far more efficient in passing out of 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 WRs, 2 TEs) than out of 11 (1 RB, 3 WRs, 1 TE), despite using the latter at a much higher rate.

The Jets have run 11 personnel on 58.4% of their offensive plays this season, which ranks 18th in the league and is a fair level of usage for most teams. The issue, though, is the Jets’ production out of those sets.

When passing out of 11 personnel this season, the Jets rank 23rd in DVOA (-20.9%). They have struggled even more when rushing out of those looks, posting the same -20.9%, but that ranks 29th in the league.

Now, compare that to 12 personnel. In passing situations with two tight ends on the field, the Jets have generated a whopping +50.9% DVOA, which is the third-highest clip in the NFL. That’s a 71.8-percentage-point difference, an unheard-of discrepancy.

Despite that, Reich has used 12 personnel on just 26.4% of snaps this season, which ranks 13th in the league. Without a doubt, that number needs to be much higher given the Jets’ passing success in that formation.

Regardless of how many TEs are on the field, though, the Jets have struggled to rush the football. Here is where they rank in rushing DVOA from 11, 12, and 13 (1 RB, 1 WR, 3 TEs) personnel this season:

  • 11 personnel: -20.9% (29th)
  • 12 personnel: -16.1% (25th)
  • 13 personnel: -26.8% (21st)

Those numbers show that the Jets have nothing to lose in the run game by relying more heavily on the package that has yielded their best passing results.

Altogether, these numbers raise questions about Reich’s usage of his tight ends and how often he deploys them. If the Jets have a package that is producing top-three passing efficiency, they should find more ways to integrate it.

The rushing attack has been a mess

With Breece Hall leading the way, there were high expectations for the Jets’ running back room this season. While Hall has missed the past two weeks due to injury, Gang Green’s rushing attack has been highly disappointing this season.

Through five games, they rank 22nd in EPA per rushing attempt (-0.159), 22nd in rushing success rate (36.9%), and 19th in rushing DVOA (-13.3%). Beyond that, the Jets have a 24.6% stuffed-run rate, which is the sixth-highest mark in the league. In layman’s terms, pretty much a quarter of their rushing attempts this year have been stopped at or near the line of scrimmage.

That is a major problem. What sticks out most about the stuffed rate, though, is that it is erasing the Jets’ chunk plays on the ground.

The team is actually tied for 13th in explosive-run rate (9.8%), which is the percentage of runs that gain at least 10 yards. So they have been able to break off big runs fairly often (although their season-long went for just 22 yards). The problem, however, is that those explosive gains are being canceled out, and then some, by the significant number of stuffs or unsuccessful attempts.

The Jets know they have big-play chops in their backfield with Hall, and even in his absence, Braelon Allen has flashed a level of elusiveness he hasn’t shown in the NFL.

In terms of their run scheme, the Jets have not looked much different than the typical NFL team. The Jets have utilized inside zone on 25.4% of their rushing attempts this season, ranking 14th in the league. Outside zone has accounted for another 25.4%, which ranks 18th. Together, those two concepts account for over 50% of the Jets’ rushing attempts.

Building around zone concepts for about half of the rushing attack is common in the NFL. However, when the Jets are getting stuffed at such a high rate, it’s fair to wonder if the Jets could benefit from a different approach.

Much of the run-game struggles could have to do with their offensive line, which has struggled with run-blocking, especially in Weeks 2-3. The OL also remains without Dylan Parham, their best run-blocker at the start of the season.

The Jets’ rushing struggles are an interesting conundrum. Unlike the passing numbers, for example, there isn’t one particular package where the Jets have even had a league-average rushing output in the metrics we are using.

Another fascinating tidbit that catches my eye is that the Jets rank second in the league in rusher creation rate (the percentage of rushing yards that come after the runner is first contacted) at 71.6%. That indicates the rushing struggles haven’t had much to do with the Jets’ RBs, as they’ve been creating at a very high clip after contact. Rather, it directs the spotlight on the offensive line.

When you add in the stuff rate, too, it further proves the OL’s role in the rushing struggles. This is important to keep in mind when evaluating Reich’s impact on the Jets’ offense.

The passing game has been better

The Jets’ passing game has been much more productive than their rushing game. They rank 20th in EPA per dropback (+0.037), 20th in passing success rate, 17th in passing DVOA (+14.5%), and 17th in explosive-throw rate (13.7%).

After what Jets fans have had to sit through at quarterback over the past few years, those numbers are a relief to most. The passing game has looked like a league-average group, and even better in certain areas.

The passing improvements start with Geno Smith at quarterback. Among starting quarterbacks this season, he ranks third in completion percentage (69.4%), 12th in yards per attempt (7.4), and still hasn’t thrown an interception this year after leading the league with 17 picks a year ago. He’s one of only three QBs (minimum 100 dropbacks) this year who haven’t thrown an INT yet, joining C.J. Stroud and Jared Goff.

Smith still has areas to improve, though, despite ranking among the league’s top QBs in several key areas. First, his 25.4% pressure-to-sack rate is the second-highest among starters this year, trailing only Baker Mayfield at 32.5%. Over the past three weeks, Smith has posted a 29.2% pressure-to-sack rate, the league-high. In that sample, he also has the ninth-longest time to throw (3.21 seconds).

Nevertheless, though, the Jets have had much more success throwing the football than on the ground, and fans couldn’t have asked for much more from Smith so far. All in all, he has played pretty well relative to expectations entering the season.

If Reich uses two tight-end looks more often, Smith’s efficiency could be even better over the next few games.

What’s up with Reich’s approach?

The Jets have been more efficient in passing situations compared to rushing, but their offense has struggled to consistently capitalize on that edge. A lot of that has to do with Reich’s creativity.

It’s hard to fully punish teams through the air and catch them off guard when your team ranks dead last in motion and 23rd in play-action usage, especially when they have relied heavily on a rushing attack that consistently ranks around the bottom third of the league.

Confusingly, New York ranks 20th in pass rate over expected (-0.9%), meaning they are passing slightly less often than expected based on game situations. That’s not an extreme number, but it’s been the most successful element of their offense. Why use it less than expected?

Between the DVOA out of 12-personnel and Smith’s consistent accuracy, this passing attack clearly has potential that hasn’t fully been unlocked. Most of these metrics suggest the Jets would benefit from Reich at least experimenting with a more aggressive, pass-heavy offense.

The biggest problem

Ultimately, all of these numbers lead back to one issue: scoring points.

The Jets just aren’t scoring enough. They currently average 18.6 points per game, tied for 27th in the league. For a team that has moved the ball somewhat effectively, it’s a disappointing number.

The low average largely stems from the Jets’ brutal red zone offense. They have scored a touchdown on just six of their 13 trips inside the 20-yard line, a 43.8% rate, ranking 28th.

The Jets also lead the league in negative play rate (12.2%), which certainly doesn’t help. That stems from two factors: their high run-stuff rate and their 9.8% sack rate, which ranks fourth-highest.

Even with a fine success rate and EPA per dropback, negative plays can kill drives and take teams out of position to score.

Biggest takeaways

  • Overall production has been below average, ranking 24th in offensive DVOA (-11.6%), 20th in EPA per play (-0.044), and tied for 27th in scoring (18.6 PPG). However, those metrics can improve down the stretch if Reich makes tweaks designed to better emphasize the offense’s strengths.
  • Reich’s old-school tendencies are showing, as the Jets rank dead last in motion usage (45.3%) and 23rd in play-action rate (20.7%).
  • The Jets rank third in passing DVOA from 12 personnel (+50.9%) but 23rd from 11 personnel (-20.9%), despite using 11 personnel over twice as often. Reich should capitalize more on the Jets’ efficiency with two tight-end looks.
  • The rushing attack has been wildly inconsistent, ranking 22nd in rushing EPA (-0.159) and success rate (36.9%), with the sixth-highest stuffed-run rate (24.6%). However, their 9.8% explosive run rate, tied for the 13th-highest, shows Hall and the Jets’ RBs still have the juice, and the overall struggles to run the ball are mainly on the blocking.
  • Reich’s play calling has leaned slightly conservative. Despite more promising passing results, the Jets rank 20th in pass rate over expected (-0.9%).

All things considered, Reich has positives to build on. It isn’t as if everything has been gruesome for the Jets’ offense this season. However, whether he makes the necessary adjustments for this unit to capitalize on its potential will be a key storyline to watch over the next few games.