FLORHAM PARK, N.J — Mandatory minicamp has officially concluded for the New York Jets, and now the 40-day break until training camp has begun.
On the final day of offseason activities, the Jets hit the practice field at the team facility and received plenty of fireworks on both sides of the ball. Today, we break down the five biggest takeaways from the final day of practice.
Biggest Takeaways From Wednesday’s Jets Practice
As always, the best news for the Jets is the fact that there has been no major injury to anyone on the roster leading into camp. New York lost safety Chuck Clark to a torn ACL suffered on the final day and play of workouts last season — a clear sign of things to come for the organization in 2023.
The team’s health isn’t the only positive takeaway, either. New York got another big day full of offensive firepower to add the finishing touches to an improved offseason.
2-Minute Offense Already Looks Much Better Than Last Season
The Jets struggled last year in two-minute drills during practice and on Sundays. That seemingly has changed already heading into camp.
The first-team offense, led by Tyrod Taylor for the second straight day, moved the ball down the field efficiently and ended up scoring a touchdown when Allen Lazard was left open on a coverage breakdown.
Whether it was strong running plays or efficient reads from Taylor, the Jets’ offense looked far better and more confident in practice Wednesday than they ever did last season. That, according to Jets head coach Robert Saleh, is due to the familiarity of the entire group having their second year under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
“You look at it from an offensive standpoint, the communication, the recall … the guys are more communication, and fixing on the fly,” Saleh stated. “In that regard, from an offensive standpoint, we’re a lot faster, the routes are a lot crisper. It’s been fun to watch.”
Garrett Wilson Excels
Through offseason workouts, most analysts understand who the Jets’ big stars are this season. That includes All-Pro players like Tyron Smith, Sauce Gardner, and Quinnen Williams.
It’s Garrett Wilson, though, who shined brightest on Wednesday.
Wilson caught all four targets thrown his way in 11-on-11 work during two-minute drills, including an acrobatic deep catch he hauled in on his fingertips to put the Jets in the red zone later in practice. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year also caught a deep over-the-shoulder throw from Taylor over D.J. Reed to record another big play.
MORE: Is Aaron Rodgers’ Minicamp Absence Causing a Distraction?
Wilson is well in line for an even bigger season outside of his first two years, where he recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons — the first player to do so in Jets history.
Olu Fashanu and Rookie Class Continue To Impress
Olu Fashanu continues to look great in pass protection, something most NFL scouts believed would transition well from his college years at Penn State.
It’s not just Fashanu, though, that stood out Wednesday.
Cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers, a standout over the last few weeks at OTAs, picked off a pass in practice Wednesday and returned it for a touchdown. The former CFL Rookie of the Year continues to look the part of a lockdown cornerback in the making, especially after deflecting a jump ball in the end zone on a different pass to Allen Lazard.
The Jets will have an interesting decision to make in the coming years with both Michael Carter II, Reed, and Gardner all up for contract extensions next season.
If Stiggers continues to shine like this, that decision may be coming a lot sooner for New York next season.
Jets’ Approach to New Kickoff Rules
Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer may have agreed with the NFL’s rule changes to alter the kickoff return play, but he still is unclear on the “big unknown” of the league’s biggest alteration to their normal game.
New York worked a little bit Wednesday on the new kickoff rules and recently signed return specialists like Tarik Cohen and former All-Pro returner Jakeem Grant.
MORE: Projecting Each Team’s Best Kick-Returner Option Under NFL’s New Rules
The options the Jets have in that role show they’re a team willing to experiment throughout the offseason up to this point.
Offensive Line Has a Great Day
It’s important to remember that offseason workouts did not have pads on, and the lack of physicality was apparent. With that understanding, defenses normally don’t start out very fast due to the lack of physicality, and it’s not until camp that fans start seeing the two sides even out.
That being said, the Jets’ offensive line looked very strong in spurts Wednesday afternoon.
Whether it was opening up holes for the recently-signed Cohen, or big runs from Braelon Allen, the Jets’ offensive line was very strong for most of practice.
Two major standouts were Fashanu and recently-signed guard John Simpson. The former Raven laid a block that would’ve sprung Cohen for a long touchdown run, while Fashanu was dominant in pass protection.
Overall, New York’s offensive line, without Tyron Smith, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Morgan Moses (three projected starters), looked very strong on the final day of practice before training camp.
