Jets' biggest mistake on 53-man roster cutdown day ahead of 2026 NFL season

Jets' biggest mistake on 53-man roster cutdown day ahead of 2026 NFL season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Aaron Glenn took on a remarkably difficult assignment when he became the New York Jets head coach after concluding a successful run as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The Jets had not been to the playoffs since the 2010 season and no progress was made last season. The Jets were a 3-14 team last year and finished in last place in the AFC East.

Most observers knew that it wasn’t Glenn’s fault that the Jets were a team of underachievers last season. However, he is not likely to get a pass in 2026 if the Jets don’t show significant improvement. While most observers are not expecting the Jets to overcome the defending AFC champion New England Patriots and the high-powered Buffalo Bills, the Jets should be significantly better than the Miami Dolphins. That’s not a high bar, but getting out of the division cellar would be a small step.

Glenn knows that he came on strong in his first year as head coach but he wants his players to fully understand his perspective as a coach and a man. “I have an edge, and that’s not going anywhere,” Glenn said, per Jonathan Jones of The Athletic. “That’s just who I am, but it was one thing I wanted to make sure that I can make guys get to know who I am. As a head coach, learn these things, you nip them in the bud and you move on.”

Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

The Jets are going with veteran Geno Smith at quarterback and he represents a significant step up the ladder from Justin Fields, who attempted to lead the offense last year. Smith has adequate arm strength and touch, and that latter factor was absent from Fields’ game. Smith is also a far more accurate passer than Fields, and that should mean the Jets should have a much better passing attack.

But the problem that became apparent on cut-down day is that the Jets don’t have enough receiving weapons to threaten most defenses. They should have a solid No. 1 receiver in Garrett Wilson, and he could have a dynamic year as long as the former Ohio State star can stay healthy. That was not the case last year as he played in just 7 games and had 36 receptions for 395 yards and 4 TDs. The Jets are paying him $32 million and they expect superstar production.

He is joined by Adonai Mitchell, who came over from the Colts last year in a mid-season move. He has good size at 6-2 and 207 pounds as well as 4.34 speed. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich is expecting big things from him after he caught 24-301-2 in 8 games with the Jets last year.

However, the remaining Jets receivers all have much to prove. They have retained Omar Cooper Jr., Isaiah Williams, Tim Patrick and Arian Smith.

They decided to cut younger receivers like Malik McClain, Jamaal Pritchett and Quincy Skinner and hold on to Smith. He caught 7 passes for 52 yards as a rookie last year and that does not seem like enough production to keep him on the roster. Glenn values players who can contribute on special teams, and Smith fits that description. However, the former Georgia Bulldog does not seem likely to help the offense out in a significant manner because he lacks the receiving skills.

The decision to hold on to Patrick is another questionable move. He is a solid blocker, but he did not show enough this summer to indicate that he would be much of a threat in Reich’s game plan.

There is no doubt that Smith has demonstrated that he can lead an offense. While he struggled last season with the Raiders — he had a 19-17 touchdown to interception ratio — he had three very good seasons with the Seahawks prior to his season in Las Vegas. Smith had his best year in 2023 when he completed 323 of 488 passes for 3,624 yards with 20 TDs and 9 interceptions.

However, the Jets are going with untested rookie Cade Klubnik as the backup. The Jets had Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook in camp, but neither one of them did enough to impress Glenn and Reich to win the job.

Klubnik has decent size at 6-2 and 207 pounds, but he has limited understanding of what it would take to win in the NFL. If anything were to happen to Smith and Klubnik had to play at any point in the first half of the season, the Jets would be in severe trouble.

The Jets need to find another quarterback in a trade or off the waiver wire if the worst happened. They would be better off acting sooner rather than later if they don’t want to get held up in a transaction.

Related: Jets retain Jason Sanders on practice squad after claiming Blake Grupe

Related: 3 teams that should sign Will Levis after clearing waivers