The season is almost here. With just two preseason games to go training camp is in full swing. We’ve now got spring practices and a few weeks of training camp as data for the upcoming season. Obviously, winners and losers in training camp isn’t everything. We’ve all seen major training camp winners turn into duds and unheralded guys make a splash after camp.
That said, these are still noteworthy. It gives insight not only into the players, but into the coaching staff’s thinking as we march toward the season. Remember, Aaron Glenn knows he’s on the hot seat so all he cares about is winning this season, especially early. Any decision Glenn is making should be viewed through that lens. He likely isn’t developing for the future, he’s trying to save his job first and foremost.
Winners
David Bailey: You have to start with the star of camp. Nobody has been hyped up more for their camp performance than the #2 overall pick. Bailey has dominated most days and his battles with last year’s first round pick Armand Membou have become must watch. That’s exciting news for the Jets considering Bailey is the key to unlocking this defense. If he can be an immediate impact pass rusher it should create a fearsome duo with Will McDonald, and the Jets could be a rare team with two double digit sack artists. Last season only the Saints, Lions, and Texans had multiple players with at least 10 sacks. The Jets had just 26 as a team.
Isaiah Williams: Williams came to the Jets last season as a castoff return man. He ended up one of the best returners in the NFL, leading the league in punt return touchdowns, while slowly working his way into the offense. It was expected that Williams would return as the team’s return man and perhaps carve out a role for himself as a gadget player. However, the 25 year old has had an exceptional spring and summer. As a result, he’s jumped first round pick Omar Cooper on the depth chart and is currently enshrined as the team’s starting slot receiver. Even more impressive, it doesn’t even seem like a competition anymore. Williams played just 7 snaps in the first game, the fewest of anyone of the first team offense. A player competing for a role certainly doesn’t take the fewest snaps of anyone.
Dane Belton: The former Giants safety was a more under the radar signing in free agency. Expected to be a depth safety and special teams ace, Belton has instead come in and pushed for a chance to start alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick. He’s been noted for consistently making plays all camp, and while he didn’t get run with the first team defense in the first preseason game, it’s clear he’s in a battle with Andre Cisco for the starter role, as Cisco stayed on with the second unit. Belton is known for having a knack for turnovers and excellent tackling ability, two things the Jets defense sorely missed last season.
Losers
Kenyon Sadiq: The tight end position is notoriously one of the most difficult to learn and transition into in the NFL. In recent years some rookie TEs have made it look easy like Brock Bowers and Tyler Warren, but for most that’s not the case. Sadiq came in as a raw prospect in need of development, and he’s missed all of spring and nearly all of training camp with an injury. As a result, Sadiq will likely start the season buried on the depth chart as he plays catch up, which is going to mute his impact early in the season. That’s not a death sentence, but it’s certainly not how the Jets hoped to start the development cycle of a first round pick.
Omar Cooper Jr.: Another first round rookie, Cooper has been nearly invisible in camp according to reports. After the Jets traded up to select Cooper in the back half of the first round the expectation was that the WR from Indiana would be the team’s starting slot receiver. Instead, Cooper has lost the job to Williams, who has never had 200 receiving yards in a season. Cooper played six drives in the first preseason game, the most any first round non-QB skill position player has played since 2022. His 21 snaps led all Jets skill position players. That’s not a place you want to be. Players who get that many snaps in preseason are usually on the roster bubble fighting for a roster spot, so coaches want to get as many reps as possible to see them. That’s not to say Cooper is on the roster bubble, obviously he’s not. However, that many snaps would indicate the coaches were not happy with Cooper’s performance in camp and wanted to see something in real game action. That’s a rough place for the rookie to be.
The Jets Kicking Situation: Neither Cade York nor Jason Sanders has had the best camp. They’ve both been up and down and it feels safe to say neither is safe. York got the first shot as the team’s kicker in preseason game 1 and hit both field goals, though the second one appeared to be a miss called good on the field. The Jets are clearly shaky here, and for a team that’s likely going to have trouble moving the ball the kicker is everything. It’s very possible the Jets kicker is not currently on the roster, which could spell trouble for a team that’s already worried about scoring points.