Grading the Jets' offensive positions groups a quarter of the way through the 2026 season

Expectations weren't exactly high for the New York Jets coming into the 2026 season; however, offensive gains were expected. The Jets brought in a highly respected offensive coordinator in Frank Reich, saw the return of the prodigal son, Geno Smith, and added a couple of potentially dynamic weapons in the draft with Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr.

The bar was in the basement, given how bad the team has been on the offensive side of the ball in recent years, but what we've seen so far has been a mixed bag.

Not all position groups are as responsible for the state of the unit through the first quarter of the season, though, so we'll dive in and grade each position group to see where New York is excelling and where the unit is being held back

New York Jets' offensive grades through the first quarter of the season highlight an uneven performance

Quarterbacks

The first piece of good news is that Smith is the only quarterback to take snaps for the Jets this season. An injury to Smith would be catastrophic, given the fact that fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik is the backup quarterback. The way Smith has played through the first three weeks would probably earn an A+.

However, in Week 4, some cracks have started to show. Still, there is a good amount of positive stuff. Smith has yet to throw an interception and has accumulated five touchdowns. He's spread the ball around, for the most part.

The downside is that he's been overly conservative at times, which has limited the offense's explosiveness. Given the abysmal quarterback play we've become accustomed to, it's hard to be overly critical, but if we're being clear-eyed about this, Smith could be better.

Grade: B

Running backs

Breece Hall and Braelon Allen were dynamic in Week 1, compiling 142 yards on the ground as a duo. Since then, though, things have fallen off. Hall went down with a quad injury in Week 3 and missed New York's last matchup against the Chicago Bears.

Filling in as the starter, Allen rushed 14 times for 59 yards, which was a respectable 4.2 yards per carry, though the longer the Jets trailed, the more they had to abandon the run game.

Overall, the pair haven't done much more than get what the line has blocked for them. Hall has posted -0.15 rushing yards over expected per attempt thus far, while Allen checks in slightly better at 0.11.

The pair has been relatively solid overall in pass protection, allowing two pressures each. Hall has produced in the receiving game, catching 10 balls for 102 yards, while Allen has given the Jets next to nothing as a receiver, accumulating just 19 yards on six catches.

Grade: D+

Wide receivers

This wasn't the way that Darren Mougey drew it up. Cooper got hurt in Week 1. Adonai Mitchell has also gone down. Tim Patrick is on IR and hasn't taken a snap all season. Nobody thought that punt returner Isaiah Williams would become the de facto No. 2 this early, or that Sterling Shepard and his one catch for three yards would be on the roster.

But then there's Garrett Wilson. The Ohio State product is used to dealing with less-than-ideal situations around him and has excelled for much of the early going. His quiet day against Chicago was more on Smith's shoulders than his own.

Grade: Wilson earns an A- while the rest of the unit gets an incomplete

Tight ends

The tight end position has been a black hole for New York since Dustin Keller's career year in 2011. With that said, the Jets have invested a ton in the position over the last two years, spending a second-round pick in 2025 on Mason Taylor and a first-round pick earlier this year on Kenyon Sadiq.

Taylor has been out with a thumb injury for much of the first four weeks and has just two catches for negative two yards. Sadiq missed most of training camp, but has found ways to flash early with an end-around touchdown in Week 1 and a Rookie of the Week-winning performance in Week 3; though, like the rest of the offense, he took a step back against the Bears.

The most impressive part of the unit might be the depth. Take Jeremy Ruckert contributing in the passing game as an example, and the six-foot-seven Jelani Woods becoming a strategic matchup threat as another. These guys aren't stars, but they are NFL-caliber role players, which we used to wish the starters could be.

Grade: B-

Offensive line

The offensive line might be the unit that best exemplifies how New York's offense as a whole has performed this season. Dylan Parham got off to the kind of start that would have him talked about as one of the best bang-for-your-buck free-agent signings from this past offseason. Unfortunately, like so many others, he's missed time due to injury.

Armand Membou put together a strong showing against a brand name in Aidan Hutchinson, but has been up-and-down in the run game, which was supposedly his strength. On the other side, Olu Fashanu has been hit-or-miss. Meanwhile, the interior has seen Joe Tippmann play up to expectations, Josh Myers lag, and Jordan Meredith make you question what he's doing on an NFL roster.

All in all, the unit is all over the map. There's been heavy investment up and down the line over the last several years, so simply being decent is a disappointment. These guys need to impose their will and dominate; otherwise, it's a disappointment.

Grade: C-

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