5 winners from NY Jets’ preseason loss to Giants

While the New York Jets did not come away from their second preseason game with as many positives as their first, they still gained some crucial information to help them determine various roster battles.

These five players are trending up after the Snoopy Bowl.

RB/KR Kene Nwangwu

After belting out the Jets’ longest kick return in the preseason opener (to the 35-yard line), Kene Nwangwu did it once more in Week 2, bringing his lone return out to the 40-yard line for the best result of New York’s six attempts.

Nwangwu, a former second-team All-Pro kick returner, continues to affirm his status as the Jets’ clear-cut best option for that role. However, he may need to offer a little bit more than just kick returning to solidify his spot on the 53-man roster, and on Saturday, he showed the ability to do just that.

In addition to his strong kick return, Nwangwu dove to save a punt from going into the end zone, setting it up to be downed by Marcelino McCrary-Ball at the Giants’ 7-yard line. It was a reminder that, throughout his career, Nwangwu has contributed on special teams in ways other than kick returning.

It is also worth noting that the Jets gave Nwangwu some reps at the running back position – ahead of undrafted rookie Donovan Edwards. Nwangwu did well with his carries, rushing six times for 31 yards.

Nwangwu may have just usurped Edwards for the final running back spot on the Jets’ roster.

RB Braelon Allen

While the Jets’ first-team passing offense was sloppy, the run game was solid, and Braelon Allen was the engine.

Across the Jets’ first three offensive drives, Allen carried the ball seven times for 34 yards, an efficient 4.9 yards per carry.

Allen continues to showcase his knack for gaining chunks of positive yardage with tremendous consistency, a byproduct of his ability to bowl over defenders for 2-3 extra yards at the tail end of every run. Five of Allen’s seven carries yielded 4+ yards, while one of the other two was a fourth-and-1 conversion, giving him a sterling 6-of-7 success rate.

Breece Hall offers better breakaway speed than Allen, but Hall doesn’t have the same oomph that Allen brings to the table. We saw that against the Giants. Hall rushed seven times for only 26 yards (3.7 yards per carry), and nearly half of those yards came on a single 12-yard run. Only three of Hall’s seven carries were successful for the Jets, compared to Allen’s six of seven.

Jets X-Factor’s Robby Sabo has stated that he believes Allen will lead the Jets in carries. Nights like this one show why that may end up being the case.

P Austin McNamara

The Jets may have gotten themselves a good one in Austin McNamara.

After an impressive debut, McNamara starred once more in a larger-sample outing. The 24-year-old launched six punts for a 49.0-yard gross average and 46.5-yard net average. He delivered no touchbacks, forced two fair catches, and got a punt to go out of bounds at the 4-yard line. His two returned punts yielded just 15 combined yards.

McNamara is showing the complete package through nine preseason punts. He’s kicking for distance, producing good hang time to set up his gunners, and showing deft touch near the goal line.

WR Arian Smith

Arian Smith continues to trend upward.

Things started out rough for Smith on Saturday night. We saw the first glimpse of the dropsies that plagued him in Athens, as he flubbed a short pass that was in his chest.

A mistake like that could give any youngster the yips. The way that Smith bounced back after his first NFL drop has to have New York’s coaching staff excited.

Smith ran two beautiful dig routes for receptions that yielded a combined 39 yards. He created separation on an out-breaking route along the sideline that should have yielded a big play, but Adrian Martinez airmailed the pass.

In addition, Smith came back for an underthrown deep ball to draw what should have been an obvious pass interference (even the pro-Giants broadcast admitted it), but the flag was not thrown.

It is quite obvious by now that Smith has the second-highest ceiling of any wide receiver on the Jets’ roster. He will not start the season as the Jets’ WR2, but if he continues to show the mental fortitude that he did on Saturday night, it will not be long before he is working in tandem with Garrett Wilson.

WRs Brandon Smith and Quentin Skinner

Brandon Smith and Quentin Skinner should be mentioned together as co-winners because they are most likely competing for the same roster spot. Their competition became fiercer on Saturday night, as both players caught every catchable pass thrown their way.

Tying for the team lead with 48 receiving yards apiece, Smith caught five of his six targets while Skinner snagged all four. They made quality receptions, too, snagging multiple difficult grabs outside of their frames.

Smith is shining for the second consecutive preseason. He caught all five of his exhibition targets for 120 yards in 2024. After catching both of his targets for 23 yards in Green Bay, Smith is up to 12 catches on 13 targets for 191 yards across five preseason games with the Jets.

At 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds, Smith offers a possession-receiver type of frame and skill set. Skinner brings a wider catch radius at 6-foot-5, which he has already used to secure multiple acrobatic catches in the preseason, although he is a lanky player at just 195 pounds.

The Jets may be thin at wide receiver from the Nos. 2-3 spots, but the depth from No. 4 on down has been impressive throughout camp and the preseason. Players like Tyler Johnson, Jamaal Pritchett, Arian Smith, Brandon Smith, and Quentin Skinner have shown promising flashes.

If they want to keep their best 53 players, New York may keep more wide receivers than expected to sneak one of Smith or Skinner on the team.

Considering that Skinner is a rookie while Smith is in his fifth year, perhaps the Jets lean toward Skinner while banking that Smith will sneak through waivers to their practice squad.