3 winners (and 3 losers) from Jets' Week 1 victory over the Titans

The New York Jets kicked off their season with a bang on Sunday, dominating the Tennessee Titans and their former head coach Robert Saleh to the tune of 23-10.

It was an exciting day for the Jets offense, which lived up to its higher-than-usual preseason expectations and recorded 367 yards of total offense. The offensive line was particularly dominant against a talented Titans defensive front.

But who in particular stood out as a key contributor in the season opener? And who stood out in a bad way?

3 winners and 3 losers who stood out in the New York Jets season opener

Loser: TE Mason Taylor

The Jets' second-year tight end, Mason Taylor, was supposed to be a major factor in the offense heading into 2026. Kenyon Sadiq was sidelined for all of training camp, and the thought was that Taylor's extra time with the offense would give him a bigger role.

Instead, Taylor had a bit of a sloppy day. Pre-snap penalties and a near-fumble put the spotlight on him in a bad way, and it certainly didn't help his cause that Sadiq shined in his own limited opportunities.

Winner: QB Geno Smith

Geno Smith did exactly what he was supposed to do on Sunday for the Jets offense. He delivered the ball to his playmakers, made the explosive plays when he needed to, and didn't turn the ball over.

The former Jets draft pick completed 79.2% of his passes, threw for 215 yards and one touchdown, benefiting from some elite protection. If Smith plays like that all season, New York will be able to compete in almost every game they play.

Loser: LB Jamien Sherwood

The Jets' defense did its job today as well, making life miserable for quarterback Cam Ward and the Titans' offense. But there were some players who stood out, and not in a good way.

Linebacker Jamien Sherwood, whose under the microscope after a bad 2025 season, didn't instill much confidence in his play on Sunday. A play in the first quarter comes to mind when Sherwood had a wide-open opportunity to bring down Ward behind the line of scrimmage. He lost his footing, and Ward rushed for a first down.

If Sherwood is going to be in the Jets' long-term plans at linebacker, he'll need to start putting together some better performances.

Winner: Edge David Bailey

No. 2 overall pick had himself as good an outing as you would hope from a player drafted that high. Coming out of Texas Tech, Bailey was tabbed as an immediate impact player, and he certainly looked like it on Sunday.

According to Next Gen Stats, Bailey recorded six pressures for the Jets defense, a team high, and even had his first career sack on Ward in the second half. Surely, the rookie is just scratching the surface.

Loser: WR Omar Cooper Jr.

The Jets were already thin going into Sunday's season opener at wide receiver. They placed veteran Tim Patrick on injured reserve on Saturday and lost Omar Cooper Jr. to a high ankle sprain early in the matchup against Tennessee.

Cooper isn't necessarily a loser because of his play, but because of an ill-timed injury, he is likely to miss valuable playing time.

New York now has only four healthy wide receivers on the active roster: Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Isaiah Williams, and Arian Smith. The Jets will either have to add someone new this week or elevate a familiar face from the practice squad.

Winner: HC Aaron Glenn

If there was anybody on the Jets sideline who needed this win on opening day, it was Aaron Glenn. After a horrendous first season at the helm in New York, Glenn needs to show real strides in Year 2 to warrant coming back for a Year 3 in 2027.

Well, Glenn's team got off to a good start on Sunday in a dominating win. It also didn't hurt that he was able to beat his predecessor, Robert Saleh, in the process. Jets fans in attendance in Nashville were heard chanting their head coach's name late in the fourth quarter.

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