The New York Jets are still searching for their first win of the season under head coach Aaron Glenn. While they have definitely displayed a lot more fight under Glenn than they did under previous coaches, the same mistakes and same bad habits continue to haunt them at the worst times.
The franchise seems to be in a never-ending rebuild and it’s unknown when they will finally turn the corner and become a competitive, let alone playoff team, again.
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While i’s been a typical start to a Jets season, there have been plenty of positives to take from the first four games. When the team’s record is 0-4, it may be tough to see anything positive or encouraging. But, it’s there if you look closely.
Sometimes it’s not about wins and losses, it’s certain things we haven’t seen in the past that we are taking for granted this year. There has definitely been some bad and some ugly, but there has been some good in Glenn’s first year as head coach and we can only hope those positives ultimately outweigh the negatives.
As we pass the first quarter of the season, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2025 New York Jets:
The Good
Tanner Engstrand
Jun 11, 2025; Florham Park, NY, USA; New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand speaks at a press conference during minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
If you take away the awful game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, Engstrand has been rather impressive as a first-time offensive coordinator. The Jets look like a competent unit and have really bought in to the run first philosophy Glenn and Engstrand have installed. Even when the team is behind in games, Engstrand does not shy away from the team’s ground and pound approach. It’s the backbone of their team and looking at the early returns, opposing teams are struggling to contain it.
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The Jets are third overall in the league, averaging 144.5 yards per game on the ground. In their first four games this season, the Jets as a team have rushed for 182, 100, 99 and 197 yards. In the past, the Jets offense was always ranked at the bottom of the league. After four games, they’re ranked 19th overall. They would be a lot higher if they showed some level of competence against Buffalo in Week 2. The passing game hasn’t been bad, but not great either, only averaging 160 yards a game. That may have more to do with one brutally bad game than the overall unit. Four games into his career as an offensive coordinator, Engstrand’s putting together an exciting offense that could only get better as the season progresses.
Justin Fields
Sep 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) takes the snap against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
He’s played better than expected in three games and everyone needs to stop over-analyzing every mistake Fields makes to push their own narratives about whether he’s a franchise quarterback. Everyone knew what the Jets were getting when they signed Fields. Electric runner, not the best thrower. When he’s on, he’s borderline unstoppable. When he’s off, he’s way off. Fields is the most exciting quarterback the Jets have had in years. When was the last time you could say that about any Jets quarterback??
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Fields has yet to thrown an interception in three games, is completing 65% of his passes and has five combined touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 throwing). He has a passer rating of over 100 in two of those three games. He can single-handedly change a game using his legs as we saw against Miami where he turned a sure sack into a 43-yard touchdown run. He’s developed excellent chemistry with Garrett Wilson. He makes mistakes just like any other starting quarterback and while it’s unknown if the team will build around him as their franchise signal caller, Fields is definitely making the decision more difficult for the coaches and GM Darren Mougey.
The Offensive Line
Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets center Joe Tippmann (66) heads to the field to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Jets completed the makeover of their offensive line with the selection of Armand Membou with their first-round pick back in April. Membou has been excellent in his first season and is already garnering some offensive rookie of the year consideration. The rookie currently carries an overall PFF grade of 76.6, putting him 12th. His run blocking grade is 79, which ranks him 10th out of 110 offensive tackles. Membou has not been penalized yet in 242 offensive snaps.
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Olu Fashanu has held his own as the left tackle and while his numbers are not as good as Membou’s, they have only allowed two sacks combined. Fashanu has only been penalized three times in 242 offensive snaps. The Jets may have to think about replacing Alijah Vera-Tucker, who is one of the top linemen in the league, but is now on his third season-ending injury in five seasons. Joe Tippmann has filled in nicely at right guard while John Simpson has performed well on the left side. Even Josh Myers has played well at center. This is a badly underrated unit that has been key in making the Jets one of the top rushing offenses in the league.
The Bad
The Veteran Holdovers
Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) catches pass defended boy New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Jets added some new faces to their defense, but were hoping that some of the returning players from last year would make a bigger impact having a new voice in the locker room. Sauce Gardner became the highest paid cornerback in the league and his play has been average at best. He’s allowed eight receptions on an average of 14 yards per catch. Sauce hasn’t intercepted a pass since last December and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 94 against him.
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Michael Carter II has been awful this year, allowing an average of 13 yards per reception and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 99.2 against him. He signed an extension last year and hasn’t looked anywhere close to top slot cornerback status. We’ve discussed ad nauseum how bad Micheal Clemons has been and Jamien Sherwood, who signed an extension to stay with the Jets during the offseason, has been disappointing. Throw in Tony Adams, who is lazy and can’t tackle, and it’s clear that the Saleh holdovers have been a big reason why the defense has badly underachieved.
Darren Mougey
New York Jets General Manager Darren Mougey and Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn, shake hands as they pose for the press, at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center, Monday, January 27, 2025, in Florham Park. Mougey and Glenn were introduced to the press in their new positions for the first time.
Outside of Justin Fields, the team did not make any significant splashes in an otherwise weak free agent class. They opted for players that had plenty of potential, but never realized that potential with their previous teams. It’s a common strategy of a GM that doesn’t know what he has on their roster. It was also obvious that the Jets were not planning on competing in 2025.
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The signings of Brandon Stephens and Andre Cisco have been a disaster. They’ve struggled early on, although Stephens was much better against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. Mougey didn’t add a good complimentary receiver to play opposite Garrett Wilson. Josh Reynolds and Tyler Johnson have contributed little to nothing to the offense. Allen Lazard, who was surprisingly retained on a pay cut, hasn’t been much better. It’s been a disappointing first offseason for Mougey, but to his credit, he’s acted quickly to strengthen positions of weakness.
Right before the start of the season, he got Quinnen Williams help on the defensive line, acquiring Harrison Phillips from the Vikings and Jowon Briggs from the Browns. Seeing the struggles of Stephens and MC2, Mougey acquired Jarvis Brownlee Jr. from Tennessee in a trade that enraged the Titans fan base. After recently losing Braelon Allen for the majority of the season, he added former Bears running back Khalil Herbert for depth. While the early returns on his first free agent class have been underwhelming, one thing he does better than former GM Joe Douglas is not wait long to fix a problem.
The Ugly
Lack of Discipline
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 29: Head coach Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets watches action during the first quarter of a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 29, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Aaron Glenn told anyone who would listen that fixing the dumb penalties that have hurt this team over the years would be one of his top priorities. He welcomed referees back to practice. He’s berated players on the sidelines for the numerous personal foul penalties. And yet, after four games, not much has changed.
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The Jets have been flagged 32 times for 289 yards in four games, tied with San Francisco 49ers for 10th worst in the league. They were flagged 13 times for 101 yards in their loss to Miami. The good news is they’re not the most penalized team in the NFL with that honor going to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But, the weekly personal foul penalties are embarrassing and indicative of a team that simply doesn’t play smart football.
Steve Wilks
Jun 11, 2025; Florham Park, NY, USA; New York Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks speaks at a press conference during minicamp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Wilks was hired to run the defense so that Glenn could focus his attention on all aspects of the team. He’s been hampered a bit by injuries as Quincy Williams will be out a few more weeks and Jermaine Johnson is dealing with an ankle injury. Marcelino McCrary-Ball is also out and will miss four weeks. It’s tough to be an efficient unit when key players are not on the field.
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With that being said, the Jets have the only defense in the league yet to force a turnover, allow an average of 330 total yards per game and only have six sacks, tying them with San Francisco and Cincinnati for 26th in the league. The players are constantly getting mixed up in the coverages and receivers are left wide open. Their tackling has been atrocious. It was troubling to see the defense let Baker Mayfield march down the field on Tampa Bay’s game winning drive after Will McDonald gave the Jets the lead late in the fourth quarter on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown.
He’s the defensive coordinator for now, but he needs to start showing some improvement from this unit soon. Aaron Glenn is being patient, but his patience could also be wearing thin with Wilks, whose specialty is defense. Whether it’s replacing starters or adjusting his defenses during games, he needs to fix it and fast because the clock is ticking and it’s possible Wilks will not last the season if things don’t get better fast.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Finding the Good, Bad and Ugly of the Jets’ 2025 season