Setting The Bar

Edition #880 - New safety Andre Cisco believes the Jets should be setting the bar in the NFL when it comes to "what it looks like at a high level around the league" but is that wishful thinking?

☀️ Good morning ☕

With OTA’s starting yesterday I thought it made sense to push the newsletters back slightly, so you’ll be getting one both today and tomorrow. Hopefully we have a few juicy quotes to dissect.

I do think that John Simpson’s comments on the centre battle were taken out of context. I’ve seen a few columnists jump on it, but if you read his full quote I think it’s just a teammate speaking positively about another teammate, while giving props to both players battling it out.

"Myers, he's super smart, he's one of those guys that you can just draw some up for him and he can figure it out. Same goes for Tip. Those guys are battling their butts off right now, just competing. And, you know, they're both super intelligent and just fighting warriors."

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Around the New York Jets 🟩⬜

• This isn’t necessarily about the Jets, but it did make me chuckle to see Haason Reddick absent from Tamp Bay’s OTA workouts. Considering the year he just had, you’d have thought he’d be first in line.

• ESPN’s Ben Solak believes that Garrett Wilson will lead the NFL in receiving yards in 2025. Stating Tanner Engstrand’s ability to get him easier looks as the main reason.

• Matt Lombardo believes the Jets may look to add a more experienced QB3 stating there isn’t a lot of experience beyond Fields and Taylor. Most teams have two experienced QBs and a younger QB3, so I’m not sure I understand the logic to Lombardo’s argument.

• We needed change after 2024. Well not only do the Jets have a new GM, new HC, a lot of new personnel in the front office. But they also have the highest players turnover in the league according to OTC. Only 58% of the players on the roster in 2024 are still on the roster, so that’s a shift of 42% turnover. That’s actually mad when you stop and think about it.

• There are a lot of Breece Hall to the Broncos rumours doing the rounds, but the originating sources are far from reliable. It’s not out of the question he gets traded, but there are no credible sources that a move is in motion.

• Todd Haley confirmed on the Jake Asman Show that he had talks with Aaron Glenn this off-season about joining his staff but it “It was just one of those things that didn’t work out for now, and that’s fine.”

• Seth Walder and ESPN believe the Jets have the 4th best chance of landing the #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft trailing only the Browns, Giants and Titans. The Saints are also given a 10% chance, equal to that of the Jets. According to the Power Index the jets have a 40% chance of gaining a top 5 pick.

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Quote from the coach! 📜

"We talk about being a physical, detailed football team. The feet are cemented in that now. It's not something that was foreign to me when I got here, but if there was ever something to get cemented in – that's it, that's really what I believe in. Something I would also say is explosiveness – the explosive plays and the importance of it. We're chasing that every week and I think that's something that is at the forefront of our minds as we're trying to game plan and win these games is how we can do that as well." - Tanner Engstrand, Lions camp 2024

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2024 Stat Focus 📊

This is a pivotal year for Jeremy Ruckert, a player who for me is on the roster bubble. The Jets brought in Stone Smartt from LA, they then drafted Mason Taylor and are still working to develop Zack Kuntz and Neal Johnson.

Let’s take a look back at Ruckert’s 2024 performance

• Played in all 17 games, receiving 593 snaps across the season (including ST)

• Was targeted 27 times in the passing game, caught 18 passes (66.7%)

• Averaged 5.8 yards per catch, 11/12 on Jets (Corley averaged 5.3)

• His 18 passes went for 105 yards (8th on Jets) and 0 TDs.

• Was credit with 3 drops on 27 targets for a drop percentage of 14.3%.

• Made 1-3 contested catches for a 33% successful rating.

• Was given a 39.0 run-block grade which was the lowest of all 4 TEs.

• That 39.0 run-block grade ranked 82nd of 83 TE’s who had 100 attempts.

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The Jets are looking to make a statement in the secondary, but who will be lining up in those starting spots come September? Could a positional move be on the cards for Brandon Stephens?