Jets find one offensive silver lining in tough TNF loss to Patriots

While the New York Jets brought in two young wide receivers in Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie III as a result of their trade deadline dealing, the former Indianapolis Colts draft pick in Mitchell was regarded as the superior player. Thursday Night Football against the New England Patriots, however, revealed a whole different story.

Despite the fact that the Jets tried to get Mitchell the ball often in this game, his seven targets resulted in two drops, one ball that was underthrown and he got his hands on, and dozens of yards left on the field. Metchie, meanwhile, managed to make some plays.

Metchie found the end zone for the first time as a Jet and looked to have a greater command of the offense than Mitchell did. On a night where Justin Fields largely threw up yet another stinker, Metchie showed that there is something for Tanner Engstrand and this offensive coaching staff to work with.

The Jets are hoping that anyone can emerge in this thin wide receiver room, and Metchie seems to be more than just a throw-in in the Michael Carter II deal that has some long-term potential.

Jets WR John Metchie III makes plays during TNF loss against Patriots

The Jets seemingly went into this game with Mitchell over Metchie on the depth chart and Metchie over rookie Arian Smith. Based entirely on how they played in the New England game, Metchie should leapfrog those two until one of them snatches his job away.

A former deep threat specialist at Alabama who saw his Houston Texans stint cut short by leukemia and other players stepping into the void when he was absent, Metchie is also a former second-round pick. The talent has always been there, but the lack of an opportunity has cost him dearly.

The Jets need to make sure all three of these get enough targets to make sure they can be evaluated fairly heading into the 2026 season. While Metchie flashed in this game, the Jets need to see just how many resources they need to allocate to their subpar receiver room.

One thing has been made clear from this game. Even though Metchie has shown flashes, the Jets need to not only bring in a competent veteran in the offseason, but they should also add to the WR room via the draft. Metchie, at least, found himself in the WR4 pole position for next year.