5 offensive changes the NY Jets must make after ugly Week 2 loss

The NY Jets were soundly defeated by the Dallas Cowboys in all three facets of the game on Sunday. While the expectation was that the offense would suffer from the loss of Aaron Rodgers, the Jets went into Sunday's game with every chance to win.

There was an offensive game plan that could have kept the Jets competitive, especially with Zach Wilson playing mostly competent football for three quarters. Unfortunately, Nathaniel Hackett and the Jets' offensive staff cooked up a stinker.

Poor personnel usage combined with an inability to adapt to Dallas' strengths on defense led to another abysmal offensive showing for Gang Green.

There are a lot of changes that need to be made to the Jets' offense entering Week 3. Here are five of the most significant.

5. The NY Jets must get Mecole Hardman involved

The Jets promised Mecole Hardman an "increased role" when they signed him this offseason. Through two games, Hardman doesn't even seem to have a role in the Jets' offense.

Hardman didn't play a single offensive snap in Week 1 and was essentially a nonfactor again in Week 2, primarily seeing the field late in the game during garbage time. He finished with one catch for six yards.

The Jets have struggled to find ways to stretch the field and threaten vertically on offense. Hardman isn't the answer, but he should be a part of the solution.

Randall Cobb has played 45 snaps this season and has yet to catch a pass. The Jets continue to line C.J. Uzomah up as a wide receiver in certain formations. It's time to get Hardman involved.

4. The NY Jets must give Jeremy Ruckert more snaps

Jeremy Ruckert is the best blocking tight end on the Jets' roster. Not only that, he's actually received the highest Pro Football Focus run block grade of any tight end in the NFL through two weeks.

One would think that the Jets, looking to attack a susceptible Cowboys run defense, would lean on Ruckert a lot in Week 2, just as they did in Week 1. That wasn't the case, however.

Ruckert played just five snaps for the Jets on Sunday. Meanwhile, C.J. Uzomah was once again a focal part of the Jets' offense, playing three times as many snaps as his younger counterpart.

Uzomah finished with the worst PFF run-block grade of all 79 tight ends in Week 2. He's a liability in pretty much every aspect of the game right now. Ruckert needs to be playing over him.

3. The NY Jets must give fewer snaps to Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is, for all intents and purposes, washed. Those who watched Cook's film from last season and paid attention to the advanced analytics would know that, and anyone who has watched the Jets this season is probably aware as well.

Cook ranks near the bottom in pretty much every running back statistic through two weeks. Out of 45 qualifiers (min. 10 rushes), Cook ranks 40th in yards per attempt, 41st in PFF rushing grade, 41st in rushing yards over expected, and 36th in yards created after contact.

Cook's -1.71 RYOE (rushing yards over expected) ranks fourth-worst in the NFL. Meanwhile, Breece Hall's 5.8 RYOE is far and away the best in the league. No other running back has more than 3.42 RYOE.

Cook is a fumble-prone low-end RB2 who is bad in pass protection. That's just what he is at this stage of his career. He should not be the Jets' lead back. Even if Hall is on a limited snap count, the Jets should give more of Cook's reps to Michael Carter.

2. The NY Jets must come up with a better pass-block gameplan

The Cowboys have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. The Jets knew this entering the week, and offensive line coach Keith Carter even spent extra hours devising a game plan to deal with the likes of Micah Parsons and company.

That's what makes Sunday's game plan even more embarrassing. The Jets had no answer for Parsons and actively put their players in positions to fail.

Duane Brown was left on an island against Parsons, with no help from other linemen or blockers, a total of 14 times in Sunday's game. 14 times! Any offensive tackle in football is going to struggle on an island against Parsons, let alone a 38-year-old coming off major shoulder surgery.

The Jets' offensive game plan was a disaster on Sunday, and that was no more evident than with the team's offensive line approach. The offensive line deserves its share of criticism, but the Jets' coaching staff (read: Hackett and Carter) did the unit absolutely no favors.

1. The NY Jets must give Breece Hall more touches

This offense doesn't work without Breece Hall. The Jets saw that last season once Hall went down with a season-ending torn ACL. Hall should be the focal point of the offense, especially with Aaron Rodgers sidelined.

The Jets didn't get that memo, however. Hall may be on a limited snap count, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he received a total of four touches throughout Sunday's game. He actually played fewer snaps in Week 2 than he did the week prior.

Even if the Jets insist on limiting Hall's snaps, they need to do a better job of getting him involved in the offense when he's on the field. Give him the important touches. Put him in the game on 3rd-and-2 — not 1st-and-10.

Hall's four touches on Sunday all came on either 1st-and-10 or 2nd-and-10. The Jets are actively limiting the effectiveness of arguably their best offensive playmaker. That has to change if the team is going to find any success on offense moving forward.