Jets Must Prove One Thing Early in Training Camp

All eyes will be on one key area of the Jets' roster once training camp begins. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jets Must Prove One Thing Early in Training Camp

Originally posted on New York Jets on SI | By Nick Faria | Last updated Jul 24, 2026 11:00 AM ET

Every team has something to prove when training camp begins in just a few days.

For the Jets, the laundry list of things to show their fans and NFL media circles is arguably the longest across the league. As such, their pass rush, secondary and offensive philosophy saw improvements during the offseason. Even some of their top draft picks will have to prove their worth going into their very first camp.

For any normal team with a high draft pick, the focus of training camp will be about bringing a top pick up to scratch so he's ready to make an immediate impact. For the Raiders and top overall pick Fernando Mendoza, that remains true. For the Titans and wide receiver Carnell Tate, that is also the case.

But for the Jets, it simply isn't.

Sure, second-overall pick David Bailey's development will be something fans want daily reports on; however, he won't be the team's key focus going into August.

That's because, unlike the Raiders and Titans, the Jets' draft strategy did not hinge on the quarterback position. They were also the lone team in the top five to retain their head coach from last season.

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So, when it comes to the 2026 season, the major focus will not be on Bailey (as much as fans may want it to be). It will center around the one thing that has been unwatchable for the last decade.

Jets' passing offense must show early promise in training camp

While many Jets fans will point to the fact that the team had many embarrassing parts about them in 2025, their passing offense was easily the worst group of any from last year. Teams around the league will struggle to defend the pass in some years. Others find it difficult to stop the run or cause turnovers.

No one should struggle to throw the football like the Jets did last season.

In 2025, the league average for passing yards in a game was 209. New York failed to go over that mark 11 times last season, including four games in which they even failed to pass for 100 yards. Three different quarterbacks were used, and none of them were able to find consistency in the offense last year.

It's been the case for the Jets and their passing offense for the last 15 years. Outside of Ryan Fitzpatrick's magical run in 2015, when they finished as the 10th-best unit in the league, and Aaron Rodgers' lone year as a starter in which the team was 16th, the Jets have been a bottom-10 passing unit every year since 2012. That's 14 years of such poor passing that the team has struggled to do anything well offensively.

This year, the Jets are relying on Geno Smith and a collection of young receivers to fix those problems. For that very reason, the team's key focus will be on that side of the ball during training camp.

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Many of the Jets' players have only known a bad passing offense. If they want to compete at a level they are pushing for, though, that will have to change. And fast.

In normal circumstances, Bailey is the key focus for a team entering training camp. But with how badly the Jets were throwing the football, the key focus will be whether they can make it out of the 1940s this year.

The Jets must if everyone is going to keep their job.