Training Camp Preview: RBs

Edition #896: We have a couple more notes on the extensions and then it's time to get back to our preview series with the RBs.

☀️ Good morning ☕

Now that the extensions for Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner are complete, it’s time to really look forward to training camp. There are plenty of players looking to bag the next big contract, guys like AVT, Breece Hall, John Simpson and Jermaine Johnson are all looking for that extension. How they perform throughout the 2025 season will go a long way to determining who gets it. The unfortunate reality is that the Jets can’t pay everyone and it’s likely only two of the four mentioned will get new deals to remain in NY.

ESPN released an article on the top-10 receivers in the NFL on Wednesday and Garrett Wilson squeaked in at #10. Whereas one AFC executive said he was the best separator in the league, one scout took the Aaron Rodgers view saying "All over the map -- does his own thing on the field, vast potential, [but he's] not close to what he could be” Which is a great compliment in many ways considering he’s already in the top 10. "He has produced in suboptimal circumstances," an NFL general manager said. "He would only grow in stature in another system more friendly to his skill set." Let’s hope the system being installed by Tanner Engstrand is “more friendly” to his skill-set.

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Around The Jets 🟢

• The 49ers signed Alfred Collins on Wednesday which may be significant for the Jets. Collins was taken with the 43rd overall selection, one after Mason Taylor. Collins got a 4-year deal worth $10.3 million with over $9 million of that guaranteed. That sets a nice benchmark for the Jets to negotiate with Taylor’s representatives. Everyone wants to get this done ASAP.

• Chris Banjo has been trusted to build the Jets special teams from the ground-up with many of the veterans from last season moving on to pastures new: "There was no doubt in my mind that Chris would be a coach one day," Glenn said. "I believe in the importance of special teams and I think there's no better person for this job than him." The Jets have active competitions across the special teams unit and that promises to go deep into camp as well: "We're very fortunate to have a lot of very talented young guys as a part of these competitions," Banjo said. "The biggest thing we've been harping on is just being consistent."

• One thing you would have noticed over the OTA portion of the off-season is the use of Go-Pro cameras on the QBs, which allows a better review in the classroom. Tanner Engstrand can’t believe he’s not tried it before: "It's awesome," Engstrand said. "I'm just telling you -- I can't believe we didn't do this before. It is unbelievable. We can hear him call the play in the huddle. We can hear him at the line of scrimmage, making his check, whatever it needs. So, you can see his eyes, where he's going, and then you can see him go through the progression. You can see everything from his vantage point. And we also get some nice tidbits of commentary in there, which is pretty fun to hear, too."

• According to Ben Solak, this is Justin Fields last chance to prove he’s a starter in the NFL: “Now, the Jets have few pass catchers behind Garrett Wilson, but they have a pretty solid offensive line. I don't think they'll tip their hand (and put Fields in harm's way) too much during training camp, but I'll be watching the reports closely. And I won't be surprised if we see a 2022-like season for Fields. Back then, he posted 160 carries for 1,143 yards, the second most all time for a quarterback. If he can replicate that season with his legs, while getting more passing game help from Engstrand and Wilson than he ever got in Chicago, there just might be something there.”

• ESPN’s David Dennis Jr believes that Justin Fields is set for a statement season with the Jets: “I think combined with what you have with that Jets organization, with the OC [Tanner Engstrand], I think we’re going to see this year we have from Justin Fields where he breaks through and has that type of comeback where we look at this [being] the guy everybody thought he was going to be when he came into the league,” Dennis said. “It’s a little disrespectful to say that one wide receiver, one piece of that, is going to save his career because Justin Fields, with the talent he has by himself and what the rest of the Jets are going to do around him, is going to save his own career and [be] rejuvenated by what we’re going to see this season.”

• Who’s the Jets leading MVP candidate next season? According to NFL.com it’s newly extended Garrett Wilson: “The question of whether Fields is a legitimate passer remains, but he helped DJ Moore produce a 96-catch, 1,364-yard, eight-TD season. If Wilson could beef up those numbers a bit and help vault the Jets back into contention, I could see some Fields-leery voters swaying more toward Wilson ... in this (still highly fanciful) scenario.”

• Steve Wilks is a big fan of his linebacking duo: "I do love the two that I have," Wilks said. "The thing that you have to have in this day and time is speed, and they have that. That's the thing that we look for, being able to run sideline to sideline, but still having the physicality to be able to get downhill and get the double teams off. It goes back to, again, our weapons; eyes, hands, hips, and feet and being violent with our strike. Those guys have that."

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There has been a lot said about Breece Hall this off-season, and it won’t be long until he can let his play do the talking. Will he get traded? A new contract? What about the other guys?

I’ve got a lot of time for Breece Hall. When trade rumours started swirling around the draft I wrote a piece on why I wouldn’t entertain the idea of trading him. That was largely based around the value/potential proposition. Breece has been slowed by injuries and game-planning, it wasn’t just the QB who had Nathaniel Hackett running the show for them.